


Flame's Shade - Revisited

by AYangThang



Category: RWBY
Genre: Drama, F/F, F/M, Minor Character Death, Romance, family life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2020-07-28 14:38:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 115,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20065678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AYangThang/pseuds/AYangThang
Summary: Raven's left a legacy behind in the form of a small Faunus child. Raising a half-sister has never been so complicated, and team RWBY has their hands full in more ways than one.  -A Re-write of my old story: Flame's Shade-





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, I’m finally ready to make this all too important author’s note. It’s been a long time in the making, longer than I had hoped, but, here we are. In 2018 I found myself unhappy with my writing on the story Flame’s Shade. It is primarily a Blake/Ruby fanfiction found on FFN. I had almost written myself into a corner and stopped to figure out why. I could have continued as it was, but the idea left me unsatisfied. I struggled with what to do with it, because I wasn’t about to give up on it. I loved the premise too much to do that.
> 
> Eventually, I easily concluded where I went wrong, and how to correct what I disliked so greatly. There was only one issue, looking back, I saw so many other details that I could have added in hindsight. Things that, frankly, should have been there from the start, and I found it unforgiveable that they weren’t.
> 
> As a compromise to myself left the old and (admittedly very flawed) older fiction up, and will continue to leave it there. I know it is liked by many for what it was, even if it was not completed.
> 
> Unbeknownst to all of you, though, I went to work rewriting and reworking the entire fiction from the ground up. I now have a completed version, and it will be slowly uploaded in its entirety. There are still flaws and tiny imperfections in this work, the bare bones themselves from the first attempt were not perfect, and that is the nature of the beast. 
> 
> However, that said if you liked the concept of the old Flame’s Shade, and what it was originally doing, you are sure to love this new one too. Most of the content has only been added to, very few things have been taken away. Extra scenes and careful contextual clues have been placed the way they should have been placed before, and I am much happier with this version because of this. 
> 
> I’m so proud of the efforts I’ve placed into this that I’ll be posting up on the AO3 as well. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Original chapter length: 1,330 words.  
Revisited chapter length: 2,075 words.

Night vision was her greatest asset as she traversed the dark city streets of Vale. The alleyways were cramped, full of homeless, drunks, and late night partiers. The usual crowd lingered in the dark corners, huddling together for protection. She didn't pay them any mind. Her cloak outlined her dark shape, black tendrils of ribbons casting outward as she hoisted herself up a nearby fire escape.

She climbed up the final few steps, taking a quick look around the city. Her decision made, the Faunus took a running leap across the divide, landing safely on the other side. Perching on the edge of this roof she jumped down silently, running along the shorter buildings below. She avoided any form of light, sticking to the shadowy corners as she made haste, eager to be home and in the comfort of her abode.

She took a flying leap off the end of the nearest dead-end, leaving no trace of her existence behind. Another line of roofs greeted her, but her home was just in sight, lingering in the short distance. She couldn't keep the grin off of her lips as she jumped down into another alleyway. Landing deftly on her toes, she turned the corner.

This path wasn't as dark as the others, and it contained friendly company.

These were hunter's homes, and as she passed by them, she could smell the faint scents of life. Several cooking meals permeating the air at the late night hour. Her ears twitched when she heard rambunctious shouts of glee. Team JNPR must have been back from their mission. The remaining three members were loudly chastising Nora for reasons that the figure didn't dare to find out.

Paying no mind to them, she continued onward. Staying would only invite trouble.

A little farther down, and she met shadows once again. All of these entryways were dark, indicating the people living in these homes where either sleeping, or nowhere to be found. The woman settled on the latter, a recent abundance of missions had likely called them away. The huntress passed by these as well, coming to a stop at the end of the alley.

Here, nestled in the slums of Vale itself, she found herself at the front door of a small old house. Four insignias were burned into the wood of the door. Team RWBY's calling cards. This was their domain.

With a smirk, she unlocked the door, and pushed back her hood. It felt good stepping beyond the threshold. The familiar scent of home touched her nose. The old hints of vanilla that could only belong Weiss, the dissipating earthy undertones that defined Yang. The sweet scent of baked goods and flower petals, belonging to Ruby Rose. It was good to be home, even while the others were away. She closed the door behind her, locking it with a loud clack.

She didn't waste any time to finish yanking her black cloak from her body and hanging it up on a small peg. Gratefully, she did away with her shoes. Stocking feet falling gently upon the smooth wood underfoot. The kitchen light was on, and she greeted the familiar inhabitant whose scent was second nature.

"Hello, Ruby."

"Hey, Blake." Ruby said tiredly, sitting at the kitchen table. In her arms there was a bundle of blankets, the likes of which Blake suspected protected rather precious cargo.

"Is that… what I think it is?" What she couldn't figure out, however, was why Ruby would be in possession of such a small child.

"And what do you think it is?" Ruby returned with an unusually distant tone. A ghost lingering in the depths of gunmetal eyes.

Blake stepped around the table, coming face-to-face with a sleeping infant. Tiny little triangle ears flicking ever so slightly in unrestful sleep. The concept was completely alien to her, there was no reason for a child to be here.

"It's a faunus cub…" Blake deadpanned, taking a pointed sniff. She searched for the clues that might explain more. The child was feline, certainly. She took another sniff. The smell was soft, lacking even the faintest masculinity. It had to be a baby girl. "Why is she here, Ruby? Why do you have her?"

"Mission…" Ruby murmured, her gaze downcast once more. "It went wrong."

"The same mission Yang and Weiss followed you on?" Blake asked, pulling out a chair and sitting at the table.

Ruby shook her head. "That one ended, they went off to report in Vacuo. I came back here, and when I did, Ozpin issued a second task."

"To what, babysit?" Blake asked with a small huff.

"No, but now that you say that, I wish it was." Ruby answered morosely. "I was given a solo mission. Ozpin had me escorting a merchant and his wagon to a nearby village off the coast of Vale."

"Were you given any partners?"

Ruby said nothing. A quiet moment passing.

Blake sighed, standing from the table to retrieve a glass of water. It was the only thing she could do to keep from scrutinizing the small Faunus that Ruby had somehow acquired. It was only after she gulped down the water that Ruby found the strength to look at her.

A meeting of saddened silver and curious gold.

"I didn't need a partner. The village was fairly close to Patch. I knew the area, so I took it." Ruby paused, words quiet, almost haunted. "It was just supposed to be a little walk, you know? Maybe a stray Grimm or two, nothing serious, but when we got there…" The woman shook her head, red tipped hair hanging in her face. "Everything was destroyed."

Blake's feet carried her back to the chair she had abandoned. She sat down, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder. She meant it for comfort, but the young woman sagged beneath it. "Ruby, how big was this village?"

Ruby thought on it, but she didn't know the exact size. "Maybe fifty strong." She said, a weak shrug punctuating the statement. "That's at most..."

"And about the village…" Blake cleared her throat, looking down at the Faunus. She had her assumptions, but she had to be sure. There was no way to ask such a thing delicately. "I'm to assume it wasn't a human one…"

Ruby's answer, while expected, was no less discomforting. "Not many humans, no."

"A joint village?"

"I don't think so." Ruby said. "Humans passed by, but, I don't think they stayed."

Blake sighed at length. "Was it Grimm, or, something else?"

"I don't know..." Ruby began, trying to piece everything together in her head. She still didn't believe it. "Grimm go crazy all the time you know. They run amok, and leave all sorts of carnage behind…but this was..."

"What?" Blake asked. "Go ahead, you can say it."

Yet, Ruby still hesitated. "It was almost methodical. I didn't think there would be anything left, but I'm so glad I looked…" Ruby had no idea what to do upon retrieving the child, and had carried her back home without a second thought. "I found her, so here we are, I suppose."

"Her parents?"

"You really, really don't want to know." Ruby murmured, eyes clamping shut. "I didn't want to know, either."

The hours would be long if this kept up. Blake went about making herself some tea. The silence in the room heavy, and thick with tension. There were so many things she wanted to say, all of them weighing heavily on the tip of her tongue.

Finally, when nothing else seemed to fit, she settled on cold, calculated truth. "And it never occurred to you to follow protocol?" She asked as she set the water to boil. "We have measures we take for situations like these, you can't just bring an infant home on a whim. She needs care, and we can't provide that."

"I'm not sticking her in the orphanage."

"Ruby…"

"No!"

A very loud and startled cry tore through the room. Blake to rolled her eyes as Ruby tried to shush the little girl back to sleep.

Somehow, the idea of tea seemed rather unpalatable under the scrutiny to those angry silver eyes. It was a feat to upset Ruby in any capacity, but anger was especially rare. Blake found herself on the receiving end of that hard glare. It was hard to endure, she felt her breath catch, her world sent askew by the rage that Ruby carefully contained.

The Faunus licked her lips.

Clearly she had trampled upon something she ought not to have. Ruby's pain was very real, and it needed to be addressed carefully. If only she knew how.

"Ruby-"

"I said no, Blake. You know what they do to Faunus in those kinds of places. She'll be ignored, and that's the best she could hope for." Ruby argued, her voice quieter but no less gentle. "You know what it's like."

"I'm more than aware." Blake hissed. "I agree with you, but be that as it may, we are not equipped to handle this kind of situation."

"Then we become equipped." Ruby replied, steadfast in her stubbornness.

"Ruby, think about what you're saying. Better yet, think ahead more than a few hours." The Faunus in front of her beseeched. "Do you know the first thing about keeping a baby around? Raising it?" The entire thought was beginning to give her a migraine. "There are knives under floorboards, swords under sofa cousins, bullets in candy dishes. We can't keep a kid in a place like this."

"So we clean it up…" Again, so dry that it might as well have been a demand. An order passed down from leader to subordinate. Even Ruby seemed to have realized that, guilt flickering across her face. "I know what you're saying, but those are all little things. We can clean the house and figure things out."

"What about next-of-kin?" Blake asked. "She could have family out there somewhere."

"What are the chances of that?" Ruby asked honestly.

"Remnant is huge." Blake protested.

"Considering where she came from?" Ruby shot back, icily. Her time spent with Weiss a terrifying example of how a person could learn bad habits.

"Fine, I'll grant you that, but think of the way we live our lives. We come home from a good mission and fall asleep in a bed of beer cans. There's not exactly a lot of maternal instinct around here, Ruby." In fact, thinking about it, Blake would be ashamed of the living conditions if she stayed in the home for any length of time. The spider making a web in the corner of the ceiling only proved her point. "This is not going to work."

"It has to work, Blake." Ruby shot back, holding the child ever closer. "If it doesn't, then what's the point of anything we do?"

Sitting down next to Ruby, Blake weighed their options. The clock ticked by, her ears focusing on the sound. Each moment hammered away, and if she was going to insist on getting rid of the child, she needed to provide a better option. "I'll take her to Menagerie. They have an orphanage there. It's not like the one in Vale... That's the best I can offer."

"This isn't up for debate." Ruby said pointedly, in her 'I'm the leader' voice. "I'm keeping her."

"What aren't you telling me?" Blake asked, noticing that the habitual defensiveness for what it was. Ruby wasn't going to give an inch.

The only question was; why?

"Nothing."

"Ruby, this isn't like you. We've found kids before." Blake began. "We process them, get them into the system, they either stay at the orphanage, or they go into foster care. That's the extent of our duties, we're huntresses. Our job is to slay Grimm and protect civilians. Anything beyond that isn't part of the job description."

"This one's special, Blake." Ruby said quietly. "I can prove it, but you have to hold her. Also, you need to swear to me that you won't move."

"If it will get you to stop being stubborn, fine." Blake conceded, willingly taking the small girl into her arms. Crimson eyes blinked owlishly, a happy little burble of sound morphing into a contented purr. Blake refused to think about it, her attention turning away from the little girl.

Instead, she watched as Ruby left the room. The leader heading off towards the set of bedrooms. Blake didn't have to wait long for Ruby to come back with the worst kind of evidence.

A ball of confusion lodged itself in her throat. "Isn't that Raven's?"

The scent…

It wasn't very strong, but it was there none the less.

"Her sword…" Ruby said darkly.

"You said her parents were dead." Blake refuted, still coming to terms with the sight in front of her. Trying desperately to deny what her nose commanded her to understand.

"No, I told you…" Ruby began heatedly. "I said that you didn't want to know…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original chapter length: 1,228  
Revisited chapter length: 1,718

There was only so much a person could do under the weight of the current circumstances. Blake had a thoughtful list of invectives for situations like this. She had murmured a good number of them under her breath in the last handful of hours. She aimed that frustration at her scroll, nearly cracking the screen in her raw grip.

"What. The. Hell." She snarled under her breath. “Pick up the god-damn phone.”

For the umpteenth time, she received just Yang's answering machine. Was it the tenth call, or the twentieth? Blake had lost count with how many times she had re-dialed. Sucking in an annoyed breath, she slammed the scroll down and began to pace. In her mind she was slowly, meticulously, piecing together the chain of events that had brought her to this moment.

Strangely, more inexplicable things had happened during her time on this team. Ever since she had met these women, life had an uncanny knack for turning upside down. Frankly, she should have expected something like this sooner.

The tiniest little mew called her attention, and she looked up to see the baby looking at her expectantly. Wide crimson eyes looked at her, unaware of her precarious position in life. Blake's ears flattened back when the baby made another sound, calling for attention. With renewed vigor, she clutched her scroll and dialed Yang again. It went directly to voicemail, and she cursed under her breath once more.

“Yang’s not picking up.” Blake stated as another mew sounded from the child. The older Faunus withheld a growl so as not to scare her. "This is asinine."

Ruby could only nod, her focus more on the sad state of the kitchen. If they were going to keep the baby in the house, all of the garbage and piled up fast food boxes needed to go. With two bags of recycling built up as well, Ruby was amazed the kitchen hadn't been deemed condemned months ago. "That's why I keep saying we need to upgrade our scrolls."

“I thought that was hyperbole.” Blake admitted, her error in judgment now biting her in the ass.

"Yeah, well it wasn’t. The reception gets wonky as soon as you get out of the main cities." Ruby replied tiredly.

"Yang insisted you were stretching the truth to get a new one." Now that Blake knew otherwise, her ire had reached a new level. "When I get my hands on her, I'm going to staple that scroll to her ear, and plaster an antenna to the back of her head." She murmured hotly, rage in her tone. "Who goes wandering off the beaten paths like a lunatic?"

"The one who likes to live off the land." Ruby said with a tiny shrug, tossing away more fast food wrappers. "Don't worry, they'll hit the main city, and all those missed calls will pop up. I've also left a few for Weiss, too."

"Assuming the inevitable, fine…”

“You don’t sound fine…”

“She’s going to call back. When she does, what will we say to her, exactly?" Blake asked, looking at the babbling Faunus on the table before flicking her gaze over to Ruby. "This is not the sort of news you deliver over a scroll."

"I don't know…" Ruby said with a shrug, tying off a particularly smelly garbage bag. "I haven't gotten that far… I'm still trying to figure out how I'm taking all of this. I can't even imagine Yang."

"And?" Blake prompted.

"What?"

"How are you taking it?" Blake asked with no small amount of trepidation.

"I don't know." Ruby said softly. "I've always wanted a baby sister. I just never like this..."

"Huh, I thought you were happy being the youngest." Blake said, trying to drag her gaze away from the baby who kept mewing at her. She knew the child had a sense of smell... That she could tell who was and wasn't Faunus by that alone. Still, she had no intention of responding to the little one. "I was an only child, so I don't even know what it's like to have an older sister, much less a younger one."

Ruby latched onto the casual conversation like a leach. "I know a lot of people get all annoyed about being the middle child, but, I'd bet it would have been awesome from my perspective..." Ruby deposited everything outside before coming back and washing her hands. Then she began rummaging around in the fridge. "I guess it doesn't matter…”

“What do you mean?” Blake asked as she refolded the blanket around the baby.

“Yang and I made due with the fact that we would be it. We kind of had to.” Ruby told her, not wanting to linger on unpleasant memories. “Dad couldn't deal with another spouse. No new mom, no new siblings.” The woman offered a half-smile. As she closed the fridge door, a carton of milk in hand. “I won't lie, I don't think I would have been okay with having a different mom anyway."

"Ruby, you can't give that to the baby." Blake said, gesturing to the carton of milk and the clean rag Ruby had gathered. "She's a cat Faunus just like I am. We're lactose intolerant."

"You drink milk all the time." Ruby protested. "Besides, she needs to eat something."

“I get that, but you can’t give her dairy products.” Blake said again with a firm shake of her head. "We grow into eating dairy sometimes, but even then, we’ve got to be careful about it. For example, I can't drink anything thicker than one percent. If I did, I'd be in the bathroom all day…"

"Well then, what do you suggest?"

"Formula, since that's actually meant for babies." Blake shot out. "Preferably soy."

"We don't have any, and she's probably hungry.” Ruby looked between the milk and the baby, completely conflicted. “What do you want me to do?"

Another little mew, and Blake turn her attention to the cub, who then began to purr happily. Blake could feel her temper slipping. She was tired, she was sore, and now she had a baby to worry about. "Well excuse me for failing to put baby crap on the shopping list last week. I didn't realize your extended family would be purring on the goddamn table!" She snapped, only to look down at the red-eyed child that was now in their care.

Ruby said nothing, jaw clenching under the weight of her own guilt.

When no retort came, Blake let loose a long held sigh. "I'm sorry, Ruby. That was uncalled for."

"I know she's dead… Raven… I saw her body... Buried her..." Ruby was quiet for a moment longer. "What am I going to tell Yang?"

"You tell her the truth, and you do it as gently as possible."

“What if that isn’t good enough, Blake?”

“Is anything good enough?”

“I…” Ruby paused, at a complete loss. How could she truly answer that? “I don’t know…”

“Neither do I…” Blake said, plucking at the blanket idly. "More importantly, what are we going to do until then? We don't have any baby stuff, and that’s expensive. Besides that, you and I do a lot of charity work. We're not the ones pulling in the high salaries." No, that privilege went to Weiss, the real breadwinner of the team. Yang's profits were a close second. “How do we pull this off?”

Ruby didn't know that, either. "Well, if we stick to the basics…"

“Do you even know what those are?” Blake asked, feeling as though they were binging off more than they could chew. “Or how much it will cost?” It wasn’t the only concern she had, either.

“No idea.” Ruby admitted. “Add in a few baby guides to that cost, then.”

“Cost aside, we have another problem. We're down one hunter from now on.” That would promise a loss in income, and another drastic shift in the household.

“But that would cut four man missions out of the question…” Ruby shot back. “We need those.”

“We can't exactly sling a baby over our backs and go fight Grimm...” Blake said, the reality of it all beginning to come into focus. “If she's family, don’t have a choice. We can't very well get rid of her, but, we can't cart her around in the woods either.”

“So, someone is going to have to say home." Ruby bit down on her lip in thought. "Well, never mind that for now. We need groceries.”

At this, Blake gave a sarcastic laugh. “With what money?” She asked darkly, depositing her empty wallet onto the table. "I'm flat out broke. I know you are too."

“Weiss did leave the spare credit card…" Ruby said, looking up to where it was kept. The little rectangle hidden behind one of the tiles near the sink. "We could always use that."

"That's only for emergencies, but we don't exactly have a choice…shit…" Blake bit her lower lip.

She watched those little Faunus ears twitch. The baby looked a lot like Raven, Faunus appendages aside. That alone inspired a world of questions that Ruby just wouldn't have answers for. Now, no one would, and she didn't dare think of what that might do to Yang.

The blonde’s dealings with Raven hadn't exactly been positive. Over the years, they crossed paths like ships in the night. Neither one of them stopping long enough to fully regard the other. If only they had taken the time to have a good long talk about the past, then maybe this would all be easier. However, that had never been the case, and Yang had always been yearning for explanations that Raven would never give.

The woman's exploits seemed to come and go as time went on. The occasional murmur, and mile long bar tab cropping up from time-to-time. Yang collected the details as best as she could, but they had never been enough. Now, even that faint hope would end. So would the thinning paper trails to go along with it. For Yang, Raven was still a mystery that would never be solved.

Blake hated even thinking about it. Then again, she had other, more important things, to be thinking about.

"…Ruby?"

"Yeah…"

"You didn't happen to pack a diaper bag or anything like that, did you?" Blake wondered as a realization wafted to her nose.

"I wasn't going to stay around there any longer than I had to." Ruby murmured, ear to her scroll. If they couldn't get a hold of Weiss and Yang, maybe she could get her uncle to pick up. "Why, is something up?"

Blake's aggravated sigh permeated the room once more. "She just peed."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original chapter length: 1,648   
Revisited chapter length: 2,555
> 
> You get two updates again this week. Chapter 4 will be posted within the hour.

** Chapter 3 **

A long and horrible mission had just come to an end. Yang was thrilled to simply be back in civilization, meanwhile Weiss eagerly awaited to be out of the public eye. The mission’s final report had been handed in, practically thrown across Ozpin’s desk in an attempt to escape as quickly as possible. Now, the two huntresses just had to get back home, and Yang planned to do it in record time.

"Well, I must say, this is thoroughly degrading." Weiss pointed out from her place on Yang's back. It was merely a sprain that did her in, but getting carried through the streets of Vale was not her idea of a good time. “I’d go so far as to say that this a new low. If I did, however, I’m sure that something else would likely go wrong.”

"Are you serious? Weiss, we got flung into a tree, fell into a mud pit, our hotel was smashed up by a pissed off Ursa, and _this_ is the part you find degrading…" Yang ranted with a roll of her eyes, lamenting all of the junk she could feel in her hair. “What about all that other stuff, huh? How’s all that crap for a bruised ego?”

“I have chosen _not_ to think about it, thank you so much.”

Yang snorted, the intake of air reminding her of the fresh hell that they were caked in. “Remind me to decline missions in Vacuo more often. In fact, remind me to double check any mission you come across next time you get a bright idea.”

"The mission paid well, and we needed the money. Besides, we could have done without rattling the shipment of aura enhancers, which is something you did, by the way.” Weiss complained at length. “I told you the container was volatile the moment you picked it up. Honestly, I'm surprised you weren't injured."

"Oh, it hurt like hell." Yang shot back, looking over her shoulder and regretting it. Another stiff waft of the smell assaulted her senses. Even worse, she could smell the acrid dust, too. "When that stuff combusts, it hits like a truck. I'm just built to take it, unlike you.” The smug tone in her voice died out, revealing true concern. “How's your ankle feeling?"

"I’ll be just fine after a hot shower and a long rest. However, we are both in a very unsightly state..." Weiss said, crinkling her nose in disgust. "You have dust shards in your hair. You do realize this, correct?”

“Uh, yeah and that’s not all that’s in there.” Yang told her unhappily. “It’s going to take hours to sort this rat’s nest out.”

“It won’t be so bad. I'll let you use my products as soon as we get back to the house." Weiss promised, ever so gently plucking a few more leaves that were glued in with mud. "I have some conditioner that should smooth these tangles right out."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that." Yang rounded the corner, and into the alley. “The hot water will do me some good too, I’ll bet that.”

“Hmm.” Weiss sounded in agreement as they neared the JNPR household.

Pyrrha was outside sweeping the front stoop. Broom pausing mid-stroke to wave at the disheveled women she called friends. "Oh, you’re back sooner than I thought you’d be.” She said, regarding them with a smile. “I take it that you’ve had a rough mission?"

"You could certainly say that." Weiss replied, arms crossed as Yang came to a stop. "Not our finest hour, I assure you."

"It frickin' sucked." Yang said, smoothing out her hair and mending her currently tarnished pride.

"Sod's law." Weiss agreed. "How was your mission, I know it was longer than you expected."

"It was alright." Pyrrha replied, glancing back to her home, her voice dropping a little. "Jaune cracked his shield, so he's been kind of down lately. We've sent it in for repairs, but, you know how he is. Do you mind if I ask, what is sod's law, exactly?"

"Anything that can go wrong, will." Weiss explained, and then tapped Yang's shoulder. "Put me down, will you. I'm sure I can hobble home from here."

"Nothin' doing. Ruby would shit a brick if I let you walk in the door like that." She did adjust the woman atop her back though. A little bounce and she hoisted Weiss up slightly. Even that slight adjustment felt like heaven. "Anyway, Pyrrha, I’m glad to see that you’re safe. Thing is, I’ve got a date with a hot shower and a basket of soap. Mind if we catch you later?"

"Indeed." Pyrrha said waving them off. "Have a pleasant day."

"To you as well." Weiss called back as the duo rounded the corner. Yang was fairly eager to hit the front door as soon as possible. In her exuberance, she nearly flung it off the hinges, causing Weiss to roll her eyes. "You're a bull in a china shop."

"Yeah, well we both reek like one, might as well act like it." Yang said as she made a bee-line for the kitchen. Yang pulled a plastic baggy containing two broken scrolls and chucked them onto the table. "Huh, guess they're not home."

"They're probably out shopping. Someone else besides me was clearly uncomfortable with all the mess." Weiss pointed to behind the counter. "Look, the dishes have been washed and the sink is empty."

"Can't remember the last time that happened." Yang chuckled, heading for the back of the house. A single bathroom was shared by the four of them, a setup that they'd long grown used to back in Beacon. They'd even doubled up on shower heads after moving in so that they could conserve the hot water. It was times like these that they were thankful for such renovations.

Seeing themselves in the mirror, Yang offered the only reasonable solution for the amount of disgusting filth caking the both of them. "I'll wash your hair, if you wash mine…”

"Yes, I believe that would be agreeable…" Weiss grimaced, yanking a hunk of god-only-knew-what from the back of her long ponytail. It was squishy, tar colored, and frankly, that was all Weiss cared to know. "Please do."

* * *

Far across town, Blake tried to recall the last time she ever got lost in a store. After a run to the corner for soy milk late last night, Blake and Ruby both realized that watching a child was no small undertaking. Now, with several bags in hand, and a full backpack of supplies each, they now had what was deemed by the store clerks as the baby basics.

Somehow, Blake was sure they were getting duped.

Regardless of if they were or not, after the near five hour screaming fit in the middle of midnight, she wouldn't dare be unprepared for when the baby started crying again.

One of the purchases they'd made was a sling, which Ruby had tied onto herself before they'd even exited the store. "Bottles, bottle brushes, two kinds of nipples, three kinds of diapers, wipes, rash cream, binkies, Faunus safe formula, burp cloths, no tears shampoo and conditioner, a pack of short sleeved onesies, a pack of long sleeved onesies, five baby sacks…" Ruby trailed off, scanning the receipt and feeling a little bit queasy. "Baby claw clippers? I didn't put those in the basket."

"I did." Blake said, not even batting an eye.

"Why?" Ruby asked dryly. She doesn't even have claws..."

"Our nails might look the same, but they aren't. My finger nails are thicker than yours, hence claws. My clipper is too big to use on her, I'd be afraid to hurt her." Blake said as she took her own fingers and pushed them back. When she did this, the tips of her nails grew out. "All cat Faunus have claws, Ruby. We just manicure them down so that they don't grow long, sharp, and pointy. She's liable to scratch herself, or us for that matter, if we don't."

"What happens if you let them grow out?" Ruby asked then curiously.

"Well, they're retractable, so if I extended them unclipped, they would curve around the tips of my fingers.” Blake replied with a shrug, extending what little of her claws remained. “I keep mine short enough that even extended, they don't curl around, see?"

“I guess I never thought about it like that.” Ruby nodded numbly. Her eyes skipped down to the grand total at the end of the long bill. The sticker shock was still bothering her. "We just spent over two-hundred lien. Weiss is going to kill us."

From inside the sling, the small baby started to meow, and chose to do so incessantly.

"Oh god, not this again... Here, Ruby hand her to me." Blake said.

Both women began shuffling the groceries and the baby around. Finally, after a bit of maneuvering, Ruby was carrying the plastic bags, and Blake was now cradling an inquisitive Faunus in her arms. The mewing dulled to a purr when a free hand soothed the tiny twitching ears that swung around like tiny radar atop the girl's head. Blake felt Ruby’s gaze on her, silver eyes studying both Faunus in question.

Blake could only clear her throat awkwardly, choosing to ignore the placement of her own hand and the soothing motions of her finger.

Of course a human would find the action so interesting, especially a human like Ruby. She had probably never witnessed such a thing first-hand before. Faunus didn’t typically touch each-other’s ears in public. The rarity only took place commonly between adults and very young Faunus. Anything else would be construed as demeaning, and with good reason.

Rather than trying to explain any of that to Ruby, Blake fixated on something else entirely. "I really wish that Yang would hurry her ass up.” She said hoarsely, a mix of exhaustion and worry weighing it down. Clearing it again didn’t help, so she swigged at the half empty canteen she kept affixed to her belt loop. “I wonder what’s taking her so long.”

"You and me both." Ruby said as they crossed the alleyway in relative silence. "I just…" Ruby's eyes flicked over to the baby. "What if she hates her?"

"Um, Ruby, of the many things we need to be worried about, and I admit, that list grows by the second, I don't think Yang could ever hate an innocent baby."

"I don't know about that…"

"Hmm." If it were anyone else other than Yang, Blake would have jumped directly to the obvious.

That the girl was Faunus, not human. However, knowing Yang like Blake did, that was simply impossible. She had never known Yang to hate a Faunus for simply being one. There were a few choice words that Yang had about particular ones, White Fang members included. It wasn't bigotry though, Yang's views had very little to do with heritage. No, instead it had everything to do with criminal acts and not-so-friendly fire. Shooting at someone was hardly the way to make friends with them, and the White Fang were certainly trigger happy as a group.

The next obvious conclusion might be a misguided sense of jealousy. In thinking on it, Blake also tossed that aside too. Yang had one hell of a bad temper on occasion, but she was one of the most maternal figures Blake had ever known. There was no possible way she would come to hate an infant, at least, none that the Faunus could discern.

"Why do you think that Yang will hate her?" She asked curiously, wondering if Ruby’s fear came from a long buried history.

"Because it would be easier to hate her.” Ruby explained, gripping the grocery bags tightly as she said it. Even thinking about that felt like complete and total betrayal. “It would be easier to just turn our backs on all this. We could pretend that this didn't happen.”

“Yang wouldn’t want to do that, Ruby.”

“You don’t know that for sure... I don’t either...” Ruby sighed. “Ignorance is bliss after all, but, so is denial. That way, it can be another family who had a tragedy." Ruby explained, pulling out the house key, not an easy feat with her arms full. "It doesn't have to be us again… This… It always ends up happening to us."

"If she's going to end up feeling hatred for anyone, it'll probably be herself." Blake surmised, the very thought worrying her as well. "She didn't ask for any of this, neither of you did. So, you may be right that it would be easier to pretend it didn't happen... In saying that, though, it's not just you two anymore.”

“That doesn’t really soften the blow, Blake.”

“I know, but this isn't someone else's tragedy, Ruby." Blake told her. "It's ours. We're a team, and we'll figure this out. I promise you that."

They pushed passed the front door and Ruby very nearly tripped as she came to a halt. Her legs frozen stiff. Yang was sitting on the sofa, a beer in hand, and her bare feet up on the coffee table.

"Hey guys!" Yang greeted lazily, waving at Blake who could only swallow hard. "Great to see that ya grabbed some groceries. We’re totally out of MRE’s, and there was only a small packet of water purification tabs left."

"Y-yeah, groceries…" Ruby trailed off. "I'll… um… I'll just be right back."

"Uh, okay." Yang raised an eyebrow as Ruby left the room in a hurry. “Well, that was weird. Is she on the red or something?”

“No… It’s nothing like that.” Blake forced out, her voice edgy at best. She didn't dare consider the worst. Instead, she sat down, the Faunus cub still cradled to her chest. To fill the uneasy space, she gave Yang one of the softest looks she could muster. “It’s just complicated. We need to have a long talk.”

“Uh-huh…” Yang sat upright then, another sip of beer and she set it off to the side. “So, what’s with the kitten, kitten?”

“Don’t call me that.” Blake shot back softly out of reflex. She looked down to the baby Faunus, swallowing back a thick ball of anxiety. “As for the Faunus cub, that’s what we’ve got to talk about. I just don’t know how to make this any easier.”

“Well, telling it to me straight should be good enough.” Yang replied. “I mean, honesty is the best policy and all that, right?”

“It’s not like we’re going to hide anything. It’s just hard to explain, sis.” Ruby interrupted as she came back into the room carrying something heavy. Weiss struggled to keep up, hobbling behind her. The exhausted ex-heiress looked as if she’d seen a ghost. Worried and tense in spite of just coming from a long, hot shower. The thing in Ruby’s hands explained why. “I don't really know how to start, so I’d though I’d just show you…”

“Ruby, what are you doing with that weapon?” Yang asked, as her hands tightened around the fabric of her jeans. She leaned forward to get a better look at it.

Ruby placed the sword that was in her hand onto the table, and then sat down on the floor in front of it. “This…is Raven’s sword…and that baby…that’s our little sister…”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: I’ve added Faunus speech this time around. The reason it wasn’t in the earlier chapters is simply that the set-up itself would have been awkward for it. You’ll see more of its capabilities as the series goes on, but this should give a small one-sided taste.
> 
> Note On Faunus Speech: While I doubt Faunus would be able to have full conversations with merely Faunus body language and vocal patterns alone, I do have a feeling that they’d be able to get a truncated message across. It’s these messages that I think add a great deal of context to the growing relationships as Ace perceives them. However, it should be clear that humans can’t understand Faunus Speech any more than they would a foreign language.
> 
> Furthermore, other Faunus may have a limited perception based on species. For example, Velvet (a rabbit Faunus) wouldn’t be able to understand a cat’s meow, and Blake (A cat Faunus) wouldn’t be able to understand the soft clucking a rabbit sometimes makes.
> 
> However they both would understand territorial growls, hissing, and purring, since these are both sounds indicative of their respective species. (Yes, rabbits can actually make a purr sound, but they do it by using their teeth. They can hiss too.)
> 
> Original chapter length: 1,548   
Revisited chapter length: 2,334
> 
> “Regular dialogue”   
[Faunus speech only]

** Chapter 4 **

Ruby detailed the mission. The shock. The discovery. The aftermath.

A simple little village off the coast of Vale destroyed, and Ruby didn't even know who might have done it. Then again, she didn’t seem to want to know, either. Her older sister couldn’t blame her, drinking in the long story as the sickening poison that it was.

Tough to swallow, and bitter afterward.

Yang knew of the town, hell, everyone from Patch did. It would be greatly missed. A lot of fishermen had built lives there in that sleepy little village. Buying fresh food had always been easy and cheap. The ferry shuttled people back and forth from the smaller islands around Vale, and that dock was a common destination. Yang had plenty of fond memories, the taste of fresh caught fish had only been one of them.

As children, their father would take them on that boat all the time. It was much slower than taking an airbus, but as a little girl, Yang had loved the sea air. Hearing that the village was gone wasn't easy. It hurt deep, like the ending of an era taken away too soon.

It was also the most believable part of Ruby's story.

The young woman loved that village too. Ruby wouldn't lie. She would never make up a story so tragic for the fun of it. It was everything else that seemed so unlikely. Like a bad fever dream, and nothing more. Yet, as further proof, Raven's insignia on the bottom of the sword's sheath spoke plenty of who owned it. There was no choice but to believe Ruby. To soak in every bit of the tale she had to tell. Yang listened intently, in spite of the impossibility of it all.

She tried to fit the pieces together. She could believe that Raven might get around. That Raven might have more than one man in her life. The blonde could even accept that she might have other siblings living lives in far corners of the world. It wasn't unheard of. Huntresses could be just as promiscuous as their male counterparts. It might even be an unspoken commonality of the trade, for as much as Yang knew.

Yang could not fathom, however, that Raven was dead.

That Ruby had chosen to bury the woman by hand, and all by herself. That there was a grave someplace as proof, a corpse laying inside.

Yang looked over at Weiss. The ex-heiress was currently holding the small black haired, black eared, cat Faunus. Her inquisitive red eyes full of intellect, not unlike Raven’s own. Bottle in hand, Weiss marveled as the baby suckled from it greedily. Blake was nearby in case things turned sour, but it seemed her presence wasn’t necessary. Weiss had the baby well in-hand.

Yang eyed the scene with trepidation. She couldn't believe that this Faunus infant was her baby sister.

Yet, if there were ever a question of what Yang had been told, this infant proved something. Raven, on some level, had been a sentimental person. That underneath all of her mystery, she had goals, and things she cared deeply about. She would never be the matronly figure that other women aspired towards, but to think that she didn’t care at all…

If that were true, Raven would still be alive.

"So, that old village, huh?" Yang said, more as a way to absorb the information, rather than repeat it.

“Yeah…”

“Ya know, it seems so strange. It’s like everything came full circle.” Yang murmured slowly. “Uncle Qrow and Raven, they grew up there in that village. They were orphans, but the people there knew them, so…"

Ruby nodded. "Uncle Qrow used to say it all the time. That they never had a real home, but, they never really needed one…"

"But why, then? Why, after all this time?" Yang forced out a long, tedious breath. One carrying years of questions, anger, worry, and confusion. It was riddled with the holes of abandonment, and oozing in the bitterness of failure. Loss was a distant thing. No more than a dull ache that persisted only because it should. It wasn't a sharp stabbing throb, like the kind she felt when Summer Rose died.

She wished she felt worse, honestly…

That she felt the way a person should feel when experiencing the loss of a parent, but Yang simply didn't. Instead she felt strangely numb. As if the world should still be turning, regardless of the catastrophic loss.

"That's what I just don't get…” Yang continued in a soft murmur. “Just why…?"

“Did she ever really need a reason for anything?” Ruby asked. “She never explained herself, and she never seemed to want to.”

“If she didn’t need a reason, you would have dug a much smaller grave, Ruby.” Yang stated, hearing the choked sound of disgust that emanated from Ruby’s throat at the thought of something so morbid. That a mother might flat out abandon their baby, regardless of who that mother was. "She stayed, there was a reason for that... Had to be..."

"Still..." Ruby muttered sickly.

Yang couldn’t blame her. It was a very sickening thought, indeed.

Fingers gliding along the condensation of her beer, Yang considered that. The trail of wetness coating her thumb, a droplet splattering onto the arm of the sofa. "So, what was the reason? Why would she go back there? And why stay long enough to get pregnant?” Yang wondered aloud.

“I don’t know.” Ruby spoke.

“Yeah, me either.” Yang said then. “I thought she hated kids. She never stuck around for me. Can't imagine she'd have a sudden change of heart." Yang scratched the back of her head. The confusion was more irritating than knowing the woman was dead. That was a painful realization all on its own. "Are you sure that she wasn't just there at the wrong time? That all of this isn't just a coincidence?"

"I can’t say for sure, I wasn’t there when it happened. I kind of wish it was…" Ruby said guiltily. "I don't think it is, though."

“That baby and I... What if we aren’t related?” Yang asked.

"You won't know that without DNA tests." Weiss said rationally, looking up from the baby in her arms. “If you want to know for sure, that’s the only way.”

"Yeah, you're right…" Yang sighed.

"Sooner rather than later would be preferable." Weiss prompted again. "We need to know for a fact what we're dealing with."

"I just…" Yang swallowed hard. She looked to Blake, golden eyes full of sympathy that Yang didn't want. "No… You're right, the sooner we get this done, the better. Tomorrow, we'll go, get it done."

* * *

It was going to be easy, right? They were hunters, and asking for that kind of test was simple enough. A quick cotton swab inside of the cheek, maybe a bit of blood as a control test. Toss down a little money, bingo, done deal. With the latest advancements, they could have the answer in a few days. The wait wouldn't be long, but it sure felt like it.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow…

…tomorrow…

It was the mental chant they all used to get by. Yang had mindlessly gone through the motions of the past several hours. Eating dinner, doing the dishes, sitting in front of the sofa, nursing a beer or three. She did her best, trying to wait for daybreak so they could do the test. Then she could be done with it. She could go distract herself. She wanted, needed, that distraction now.

Her mind was scattered.

In the mess of purchases, Ruby had bought a fold-up bassinette made for camping. The baby was currently inside of it, mewing. At first it was just white noise. Babbling, little more. Then it turned to a pointed cry.

A baby's cry.

Yang looked at the youngster. Her ears were flattened back, and eyes were closed. Rosy cheeked and tear stained. Aggravation at its finest. It was the first time that the realization had registered all day. Yang nearly choked back the rest of her beer when the reality set in.

This baby had no one. It was all alone now.

_She_ was alone, and something about that pissed Yang off.

So what if Raven was the kid's mom? So what if she wasn't? Raven had been there, and that was enough reason for Yang to blame the woman for this entire mess. Reaching in, she ever so gently picked up the crying baby, and held the child to her chest with care.

"I'm sorry." She murmured, feeling the baby's ear flick against her chin. The little one’s crying was dismayed and constant. "I'm sorry…"

After some time, the little girl quieted. Yang tried to put her back, but to no avail. The baby began crying as soon as Yang tried to put her in the fold away bassinet. She paced back and forth, but as soon as she tried to put the baby down, she'd start crying once more. Yang finally gave up, settling herself in the bay window. She looked outside, not that there was much to see.

Well, nothing besides other hunter's homes.

"Bet you don't even have a name, do you?" Yang said softly, holding the baby close in the dead of night. "Be just like her… Leaving you behind without a name… What was she, an idiot?" The question was meant to be rhetorical, but she found herself answering it anyway. "Who am I kidding? You probably have a name… Maybe… Hell if I know what it is… Wish I did, but I don't. Damn, there's so much that I just don't know…"

_[Kin.]_ The small child mewed.

Yang looked down curiously, feeling the way the ear flicked against her chest again. With a small waning smile, she mimicked an action she'd seen Blake do earlier. Rubbing the tips of the baby's ears gently in a small little circles. As she did this, she continued her train of thought.

"Raven was there, right? She must have had a reason to be. I don’t think she was the type to do pointless things. I wish I knew which one of us was better off." Yang looked down again. "Me, or you?" Then she turned her gaze back to the window. "Ya know, I used to think the same thing about me and Ruby. I always wondered which one of us was better off.”

Her thumb paused its small circles. “I never did figure that out. Even if I did, would it have really mattered?” Yang muttered then. “And that's another thing. Why do I have to be the responsible one? Whatever happened to livin’ my own life for a change? I had Ruby on my hip, and now there's you…” She said glancing down at the baby.

_[Kin?]_ The baby mewed softly, large crimson eyes blinking owlishly at her keeper.

“And damn you're cute and all, but come on…” Yang said with a shake of her head. “Where's the justice here?"

Yang knew the baby wasn't going to give a reply. She couldn't talk yet, after all, and there was no one else in the room. "I've got a weird family, kiddo. It's not exactly a family you brag about, but it's mine. Hell, I guess it's yours too, maybe." Her fingers began to scratch at the base of one little ear.

The young Faunus purred contently, and Yang continued to sit and look out the bay window.

"I wonder what your dad was like.” Yang said then. “What if he's still out there? He could be. I mean, what if the guy Ruby found wasn't your dad? What if that was your uncle, or a friend of the family, or something? You'd still have a family, then. They'd probably be a Faunus just like you. Maybe you'd be better off with them…"

When tiny eyes opened Yang felt a pang of remorse at even thinking it. "Hey, don't go looking at me like that…" When the baby mewed, Yang sighed. "You just like me because I know how to give good ear rubs."

_[Kin.]_ The baby mewed again, almost as if to agree.

"I don't know if we can do this." Yang said softly, her fingers pausing again, prompting another little mew. "Hey, it would be different if you were like five or something. I know how to be a fun big sister, but you, you're just a little thing." Yang's voice grew quiet then. "I mean, let's be real here. I don't know how to take care of a baby…”

Another small mew, this one softer than the rest. _[Tired.]_

A flick of a tiny ear followed, and Yang could only frown at her.

“Hey, it was different with Ruby. My dad and uncle were the adults. They did the parenting. Ruby and I, we really aren't that different in age. I mean, what’s two years, really? I did big sister things, not exactly parent things. Well, unless it was a girl thing that a guy would screw up... Then maybe, but you catch my drift…"

Tiny ears flattened back, and the baby gave a big yawn.

"Yeah, yeah, see you're sleepy. All you do is cry when I put ya in the stupid basket thingy. Even now, I'm completely sucking as a responsible adult. Can't even get a baby to sleep. Pretty damn pathetic…”

A small sound, a mix between the usual mewing and a purr called to Yang again. The baby closed her eyes, seeming to settle in quite happily against Yang’s chest. _[Mine.]_

“Oh, now you’re comfy…” Yang muttered. “Couldn’t be comfy on the sofa, oh no. That’d be too easy. You had to be comfy here in the window… Makes perfect sense… “

The baby smacked her lips together after another yawn, finally drifting off.

“I mean just look at us. What the hell kind of cosmic crapshoot did we sign ourselves up for?” Yang could only sigh. “This just isn't right…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYangThang: Surprise update! Only one chapter, but I wanted it up. Here’s the thing, this fiction is huge. It’s so much longer than it used to be. You’ve got to figure, the other one was well over 60k without author’s notes, at 29 chapters. This re-write easily surpasses 60k way before then. This thing’s just massive, in both chapter length, and in the scope of the story. Anyway, hope you like the fly-by update. See you all on Thursday for a double post. 
> 
> Significant Changes: This chapter contains context clues, more dialogue, and the first segment of Faunus speech passed between Blake and the baby (Ace).
> 
> Original chapter length: 1,439  
Revisited chapter length: 2,495
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

** Chapter 5 **

Being a huntress was not a simple profession, and no one who entered into the dangerous trade took their futures lightly. Upon graduation, diploma fresh in hand, aspiring hunters had two choices.

The first was to become hunters for hire, working for profit. This was the most common choice for the young newly minted graduates. There were more job opportunities for those seeking honest work. It helped that many wanted the fame that came as part of working with other high-profile hunters. The pay was comfortable, and so were the accommodations offered from village-to-village.

The second was to become hunters for charity, working for, or below the cost of the mission. This was an option that was less sought after. A young huntsman would never make ends meet doing charity work alone. That was just impossible. Travel across Remnant wasn't exactly cheap. Airfare was only one cost of many. Combined with food, a place to sleep, weapon care and many other expenses, everything added up. Often the huntresses took a loss on funds when taking charity work. A hot meal and a warm bed were sometimes the only guarantee, if that was even possible at all.

Team RWBY stuck together after graduation, as many hunter teams tended to do. Ruby and Blake took payment when it could be afforded, and accepted when it couldn't be. They had registered as huntresses for charity. Weiss and Yang worked for profit only, unless there was a mission that Ruby or Blake insisted on. Something that might require a four man team.

Even hunters that worked for profit didn't live wealthy lives. They couldn't. It was accepted and understood that only particularly large or dangerous Grimm offered huge payouts. Even that had to be divided among those involved in the slaying. They lived comfortably enough, but, that didn't mean they could be tactless with their earnings. Because of this, Weiss and Blake took care of the book keeping.

Between the four of them, it was normally comfortable way to live. All-in-all, there was one only one true complaint among all of them.

They lived in an old house. Two bedrooms, one bathroom. It wasn’t unusual for a hunter to live in such housing. After having lived in a dorm for four years, one might even call it cozy. They'd gotten used to the idea of no privacy, but, even the best of friends got sick of each other.

For Ruby, it was one of those kinds of nights.

With every step Weiss made, a bare foot would make contact with a squeaky floorboard in desperate need of replacement.

"Ugh, Weiss..." Ruby groaned, rolling over and flopping onto her belly.

"What?"

"Stop pacing around." Ruby complained. “I’m trying to sleep. Lay down already.”

Every second step, Weiss took a breath out of pain. Every third, the floor would creek again. Ruby's ears were assaulted by the noise, predictable as it was.

"I’m not tired.” Weiss said as her pacing continued. “I’m thinking, and I do that better while moving."

“Do you have to be so loud about it?”

“Apparently…”

"Then go pace around in circles somewhere else."

"I said, no."

"Weiss…” Ruby grunted lifting her face from her pillow. “You may not be tired, but I am. Either lay down, or go away. I don’t really care which one you decide to do."

The white haired woman scowled, licking her lip as she leaned heavily on the corner of Ruby’s bedpost. She looked at her exhausted friend, perhaps taking in Ruby's world weary features for the first time. "Hey, tell me something. Do you truly believe that the Faunus in the living room is Yang's half-sister?"

"No, she's a lonely little orphan from the moon." Ruby groused sarcastically, rubbing her eyes.

“Ruby…”

"Yes, that's our sister.” The leader huffed, dragging her hands across her face with a long held sigh. “Now stop being dumb, okay?” With this, she buried her face back into her pillow. “I really need to get some sleep…"

"It isn't dumb to be thorough." Weiss shot back as she began to pace again. Her foot hitting that same creaky floorboard. "Technically, would she even be your sister?”

“Why wouldn’t she be...?”

"Because..." Another soft breath of pain followed soon after by silence. A heartbeat later, there came a clarification. “Legally speaking, I mean…”

Ruby sat up, squinting in the dark at Weiss incredulously. Only a small lamp lit up the room, located on desk in the corner. "I don't know, and I don't care. She's Yang's sister, and since Yang's my sister, it doesn't matter." Ruby told her, as if trying to drill the opinion into her partner's head. "Family’s just family."

"While I do agree with the heartfelt sentiment, in the end, it would certainly matter to the courts.” Weiss told her, pinching the bridge of her nose. “That Faunus isn’t exactly your concern on paper. You don't share a blood relation."

The look Ruby fixed her with could have frozen hell right over. Weiss glared back, unimpressed. She knew that Ruby never quite cared for technical legalities. As a team, they had flagrant disregard for the law, bending and outright breaking it more than once. They had always found ways to justify the borderline criminal acts. It just didn’t change the outcome that they had, in fact, broken the law. Yet, so long as it was for the greater good, they often didn't hesitate. Of course Ruby would consider this situation the same. black and white, with no in-between.

"Don’t give me that crap.” Ruby finally said, losing the battle of wits in a single blink. “We're family, okay? Go. To. Sleep."

"What if the child isn't related to Yang…"

"Weiss, they are related." Ruby deadpanned. "Trust me."

"But, what if?" Weiss asked. "What if she has a proper family out there? We will have to give her back to her proper family. You understand this, right?"

"Yes… I get it, okay?"

"Ruby, I'm just trying to think rationally." Weiss replied. "It could be a coincidence. It could be staged. A trap. Why would one lonely baby survive a massacre? What if she has affiliations with the White Fang, or worse? I don't want you giving this child, or Yang for that matter, false hope if there is none. For all you know, we could be meddling in something very dangerous."

Ruby blinked, dumbfounded. "Weiss… There's a better chance of a nevermore taking a huge shit on my head, than what you just described... Can I go back to sleep now?"

"How you can sleep at a time like this is beyond me…"

Ruby grabbed her pillow and flung off the sheets. Opening and closing the door behind her. She crossed the hall and went into the other bedroom where Blake and Yang bunked. Pairing off as bunkmates made sense. It was what they were used to. Now, however, Ruby really wished she wasn't roomed with Weiss, who was as high-strung as ever.

When she entered the second bedroom she noticed Yang's bed was empty. Blake’s was occupied, but she was awake, nose pressed to a book.

"Oh, not you too! Doesn't anyone know what sleep is around here?" Ruby asked. "And where's Yang?"

"Yang is out in the main room." Blake said. "With the baby. At least, she was when I went to go check."

"Wait, what? She didn't think to bring the bassinet in here?" Ruby asked dumbfounded, and now grouchy. "She's not sleeping across that sofa is she?"

"The bay window, last I looked." Blake replied, idly turning the page. "I put a blanket around them."

"Them?" Ruby shook her head.

"She was sleeping curled inside the bay window, yes." Blake said again. "With the baby in her arms. I wasn't about to try to disturb the peace."

"Blake, correct me if I'm wrong, but... isn't there a crack... in the bay window?"

"That's why I gave them a blanket." She returned.

"So my sister is sleeping in front of a drafty, busted window with a baby…” Ruby trailed off, pressing the pillow to her face.

“That’s about it, yes.”

“Right, and that's full circle.” Ruby said unhappily, her voice muffled by her pillow. There was only one thing to do, pretend it wasn’t happening. Ruby claimed Yang's empty bed, hunkering down. “That's it, I'm going to bed before tonight gets any worse. Nighty-night Blake."

"You're sleeping in here?"

"Yes! Please, let me stay in here. I don't want to sleep on the sofa, and I'm not going back in my room." Ruby half grumbled and half begged. "Weiss is being... Well, for a lack of a better term, Weiss, and it's driving me nuts. So please, can I just lay down and close my eyes? Pretty please?"

"I see." Blake murmured, reaching over and turning out the light. Her eyes would adjust naturally soon anyway. "Well, alright then. Night, Ruby."

"Goodnight, Blake." Ruby sighed, thankful that the resident night owl was so accommodating. "And really, sooner or later, try to get Weiss to stop going in circles. She's going to make her ankle worse…"

* * *

It was nearly four in the morning when the baby girl decided to scream her head off, waking Yang with what could only be called yowling. Yang, for her part gingerly put the bay back in the soft bedding, eyeing her as if she was some sort of ticking time bomb.

_[Silence!]_ The much lower pitched yowl bounced off the walls from down the hall, and the infant paused in her screeching.

Instead, tiny ears perked as the baby mewed in reply. _[Hungry…]_

Blake, now in the room made the same sound as before, but this time it seemed gentler. _[Be quiet.]_

The baby mewed in reply once more as Blake came into view. _[Kin? Food?]_

Golden eyes bore into red with a headed glare of aggravation. _[Not Kin.]_

Another little mew greeted her ears. _[Kin?]_

Blake grumbled another sound back in reply. _[No...]_

It was then that the elder Faunus turned to her friend. "Yang…" Blake said, bathrobe slung and tied haphazardly around her nightgown. "The baby's hungry."

"Yeah! Ya think?" Yang asked darkly. "What in the hell was that about?"

"It's the tone of her call." Blake said as she picked up a full bottle that had been rejected. “How long has this been out?”

“I dunno.” Yang said, looking at the clock. “A few hours, maybe?”

Blake nodded, looking at the liquid inside. It had the faint smell of something sour. "I'll go make a fresh one."

Yang scooped the child back up and followed Blake into the kitchen anyway, frowning deeply at the implications. "I'm fine, you know."

"I know you are." Blake said quietly. "Or, at least, that you're trying to be."

“I could have made the bottle on my own...”

“I never said that you couldn’t.” Blake said dryly.

Yang swallowed back another retort. Blake wasn’t going to ask anything uncomfortable, and she didn’t seem to expect Yang to say anything, either. She should have known that her partner would know better than to ask anything too deep right now. It was a small relief, but one that Yang truly counted as a blessing.

"So anyway, what did you mean before?” Yang asked, changing the subject. “You said something about it being the tone of her call. What’s that even supposed to mean?"

"It’s exactly as I said. There's no hidden meaning.” Blake looked over her shoulder to Yang, seeing the curiosity lingering there. It was better than rage or depression at the very least. Indulging in a small explanation certainly couldn’t hurt. “I can understand her because I'm a cat Faunus. Her noises are actually similar to words for me… At least, in a way..."

“Oh…” Yang said thoughtfully. “Kind of weird, but, okay.”

“If you haven’t noticed, this entire situation could qualify as weird.” As Blake said that, back turned and measuring out the powdered mix, she was sure to weigh her own thoughts carefully. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"That fact that you two were just…” Yang looked down at the baby and then back at Blake. “Well, whatever the hell that was?"

"Jerk…” Blake chastised quietly, but there was no heat in her tone. “I know exactly what you’re doing. Don’t use the fact that I’m a Faunus to avoid me."

“Not trying to…” Yang said, her fingers tracing patters along the countertop.

“Hmm. Doubtful.” Blake told her. "You know what I’m asking, Yang."

"Yeah…” Yang sighed. “Yeah, I guess I should talk about it. I mean, it's normal to feel all screwed up after a day like yesterday, right?"

“I would like to think so...”

“To be honest, I don’t really know what I’m thinking, though.” Yang said awkwardly. "It's not like I was thinking anything too complicated. It's just, what's the point of knowing?"

"Hmm?"

"If she's my sister...” Yang told her. “If she really is or not. What’s the point? I just don't think I want to know… That's all."

Blake's ear flicked. Swiveling to better catch Yang’s soft words.

That was the most telling action Yang would ever receive. Confusion and trepidation all rolled into one. Blake said nothing to any of it, so Yang knew it was an invitation to keep going. Only if she wanted to.

"My mom was involved. That's reason enough not to know." Yang sighed, angry at the very idea. "This kid’s here now, no matter what."

"Is that so?"

"Her parents are gone, Blake." Yang shot back. "Raven was dead in the house. It doesn't matter if we're related or not...”

“If it doesn’t matter, why are you so bothered by it?” Blake asked.

“Her family's gone…” That was the one thing Yang truly found herself stuck on. She just couldn’t fathom the cost. “They're _gone _and they're not coming back. What are we going to do if those tests come back negative, Blake,? Toss her out on the street? Wash our hands of her? I'm _NOT_ Raven…"

"Yang, you need to know." Blake told her placidly, handing Yang the warmed bottle. "We all do."

"I don't know about that..."

"Raven has left you with way too many questions you'll never have the answer for. Don't let this be one of them.”

“Blake-”

“No, listen to me. The answer doesn't have to change the outcome.” The Faunus interrupted softly. Her hands falling onto Yang's shoulders, gripping her just hard enough to catch lilac eyes. “I’m not saying that all of this has to hinge on bloodline. Whatever you want to do, I'll help." Blake said firmly. "No matter what, I’ll help you through this. The choice is yours, but for the sake of knowing, Yang..." Blake took a breath, looking down at the baby who suckled at the bottle. "Just find out for sure, okay?"

Yang licked her lips and sighed. A single word falling from her lips caked with uncertainty. "Okay..."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: 1 completely new scene has been added. 1 scene has been moved up to Chapter 7.  
Original chapter length: 1,183  
Revisited chapter length: 2,828  
“Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

** Chapter 6 **

With the sunrise came breakfast. Docile and distracted, the four women exhaustedly tended to their own meals in peace. Weiss tended towards nutritious meals in the morning along with her coffee. Ruby favored sweet things along with a glass of milk or hot chocolate. Yang had a tendency to fish around for leftovers, while Blake preferred her breakfast freshly cooked.

With such a contrast in tastes, it was a wonder they could exist in the kitchen together at all. There was only one unfortunate problem. Even if they weren’t trying to make a mess, it had certainly turned into one. The kitchen was in complete disarray by the time everyone was done taking a meal. Today, Weiss had the task of cleaning up, or so stated the calendar. The dubious red markings seemed out of place, but the white haired woman chose not to argue about it. Yang had enough on her mind that Weiss pitied her, and did the household chore without complaint.

Blake noticed the tension in the air.

It seemed like everyone was walking on eggshells. No one seemed to want to disrupt the delicate balance, not with Yang so tightly coiled. The Faunus could understand why. The slightest disagreement was likely to become a powder keg at a moment’s notice, but even so, she was nonplused by that notion. In fact, it might do some good for Yang to lose her temper a little. Blake observed the situation as she sipped at her morning tea. The blonde was certainly justified to have her emotions, whatever those might happen to be.

A lack of sound sleep hadn’t helped, either.

“Yang, the shower’s free.” Ruby called from down the hallway as her bedroom door opened and closed behind her.

“Got it.” Yang called back, though she didn’t make an effort to move from her place on the sofa. Instead, she chose not to move, blankly watching the news network. The baby was nestled in her arms, the two of them quite cozy after a nearly sleepless night.

“I’ll watch her.” Blake said, breaking the silence. “You should probably go get ready.”

“Hmm." Came the non-committal answer. "You sure?” Yang asked, her eyes glued to the television.

“You’re stalling…” Blake deadpanned, knowing that Yang needed a little push. If it happened to set her off her temper, then perhaps it would be for the better. Bottling everything down just wasn’t healthy.

“Damn it, Blake I’m not stalling.” Yang muttered with a roll of her eyes. an uneasy smile ghosted across her lips, too weak to even stay in place. “I’m just making sure I’m not needed for anything.”

“Well, you’re not needed right now, so move your ass.” Blake bit out, chomping down on her own anxieties. They wouldn’t do any good at this point. Even if she knew that logically, the hair stood up on the back of her neck regardless. The best she could do was rationalize the worry away, burying it deeper by the second. “The longer it takes for you to get ready to leave, the longer it’ll take to go get that test done.”

“I know.” Yang said, grinding the words between her teeth.

“Then don’t make this any harder than it has to be.” Blake told her friend with an edge of exasperation. “Give her to me, I’ll watch her…”

It was a statement of fact, little more…

Yet, it cemented Blake’s fate as the current keeper of the tiny Faunus. Yang reluctantly passing the girl along before slowly making her way across the hall. In truth, Blake wasn’t entirely sure what to do with someone so small in her care. Especially when the young Faunus was looking up at her expectantly.

With Yang headed for the shower, Ruby getting dressed, and Weiss in the kitchen, she didn’t have much of an option.

It wasn’t that Blake truly opposed the whims of the baby cat Faunus. No, rather it was that she had never once thought to consider the shared bond that they had. Something that inherently came with being a Faunus of the same species. They were both of the feline variety. That meant the baby shared more in common with Blake than most humans would realize.

It was a very special commonality, something she’d never be able to share with her other teammates.

_[Kin.] _A mew.

_[Not kin.]_ A simple glare.

There was an inherent strangeness to it, and she couldn’t help but feel confused when a little hand clung to her finger. Faunus had perceptions that could reach well beyond that of a human, and Faunus young had advantages among their own kind. Abilities that a human baby would simply never have.

_[Kin?]_ Another mew followed by an ear flicking against the arm cradling her head. The tightening of her little fingers, squeezing so softly. Her scent was innocent at best, completely naive at worst. _[Mine?]_

_[No.]_ A soft growl in agitation. _[Not yours.]_ Her persisting glare hardened further. _[Not kin.]_

But, those big red eyes gazing up at her in confusion couldn’t comprehend that. The elder Faunus couldn’t help but feel equally conflicted. What was she to do with this tiny soul? She had promised Yang that she would help, but, where was the line?

How much help, was too much help?

Blake could easily discern each tiny expression, and comprehend every feline noise that such a small child could make. In return, she could respond to the baby in a language all their own. Blake could form such a carefully crafted bond, if she truly wanted.

_[Kin…]_ A tiny wine, almost soundless.

_[Not kin.]_ Another growl.

The problem was, Blake really didn’t want to. It wasn’t her place to try and forge the sort of kinship that this baby looked for. Childlike and entirely dependent on relatives to raise her. She called for the ties that mattered most, offspring in search of a parent, or at the very least, a littermate. Yet, this girl had none of that. A single child, her kinfolk only human.

That alone was tragic…

Faunus tended to abandon their animal-like behavior as they grew older, and Blake had long cast hers aside. Like many, her Faunus identity was something she had personally divorced from her animalistic traits and behaviors. It was part of her, sure, but it was a small part that would never define her personhood. She had let go of it the moment she was able to. Her traits and tendencies were now echoes of her past, or at the very least, fiercely protected urges that she rarely ever let show.

Unfortunately, there was no way to get a Faunus so young to possibly understand such a human concepts.

Instead, the baby would continue to speak out, expecting a response. The little one couldn’t be completely to blame. She was only following her nose, and what her young instincts would allow. Families smelled alike, it was one important truth that Raven had left behind. Yang shared that familial scent inherently.

Passed from mother to daughter. Shared between elder sibling and baby alike.

Unfortunately, the entire house smelled a little like Yang. Everything she touched carried the faintest hint of her existence. As such, Blake also smelled like Yang. It was easy to conclude by smell alone, Blake was kin. If not by blood and bone, than by the binding ties of scent itself. A declaration among Faunus, meant only for their kind. Even if the complexities were lost on the child, her nose didn’t lie.

It couldn’t.

Still, it was such a simple way to perceive the world, and it wasn't always correct. Yet, a baby Faunus could not be expected to understand it any other way.

_[Kin…]_ A purr.

_[Not! Kin!]_ Blake finally snarled which prompted a baby’s cry.

“What in god’s name is going on in here?” Weiss asked, a sudsy plate in one hand and a towel over her shoulder.

Hearing that voice was like being doused with freezing cold water, snapping Blake out of the aggravated state that she had been in. “It’s nothing of import, Weiss.” Blake sighed then, the crying baby still in her arms. “You can finish up in the kitchen.”

“First there was a yowling match this morning, and now this…” Weiss sighed with a roll of her eyes as she turned and walked back into the other room. “You two are going to drive me crazy if you keep that up.”

Blake rubbed her face tiredly. “Damn it…” It was occasionally frustrating to be a lone Faunus in a household full a humans. However it was nowhere near as frustrating as trying to contend with the obvious nature of her heritage. A long suffering sigh later, and the baby was still crying.

That just wouldn’t do.

_[Hush now.]_ Blake sounded ever so softly under her breath. It was completely inaudible to humans, as it worked from the back of her throat. _[Hush. You're alright...]_

* * *

Later that afternoon, Weiss was finally free to have a moment of peace. The house blissfully quiet outside of the conversation going on over her new scroll.

"Naturally, I would have gone with them, too." She said to the woman on the other end. "However, I have this finical nightmare to deal with instead.”

“That sounds rather unfortunate.” Pyrrha said, holding her scroll up and away from the light of the sun. She was away on another mission, this one much closer to home. A small horde of bug Grimm were making a nest in someone's basement. She was on her way to clear them out. “Is it really so bad?”

“Well, it certainly isn’t good. I'll say that.” Weiss told her. “How can they expect me to keep the books balanced when they make these kinds of expenditures?”

“Babies can be expensive…”

“Yes, yes, of course they are…” Weiss groused unhappily. “Usually I would budget for an expensive proposition of some sort. The problem is that I had to tack on two new scrolls on top of everything else this month. It’s blown the budget entirely, and tax season is coming up.” Weiss said tapping away at her work terminal at the kitchen table. “I'm not made of money anymore, and this is ridiculous."

"It sounds complicated." Pyrrha replied. "I wish Ruby or Blake would have called us. If they were struggling so much, I could have sent Jaune over to help."

"Jaune?" Weiss asked with a hint of incredulity. “Please tell me that you’re joking…”

"Well, he _is_ an uncle.” Pyrrha posed confidently. “Several times over, in fact."

“Well, he does have seven sisters.” Weiss sighed, concluding that it should have been expected. “It would be alarming if he didn’t have a niece or nephew at this point.”

“Number ten is already on the way, he doesn’t know the gender yet, but you should see our mailbox. It’s filled with letters.” Pyrrha laughed "Come to think of it, he's very good with children. He’d likely make a better father than a huntsman."

“Good lord, ten of them already?” Weiss balked. “How did that even happen?”

“The same way it always happens, if I were to presume…” Pyrrha told her with only the slightest blush at the thought of it. “He has seven siblings, is it so hard to believe that some of them have readily established their own families at this point?”

“You’re right, of course.” Weiss nodded, offering her own little interesting tidbit. "In any case, it seems that we don’t need as much help as you might have thought. We’re managing fairly well on our own. It’s quite surprising, really.”

“How so?”

“Since they’re both Faunus, Blake seems to understand her. Although I'm not entirely sure how…” Weiss explained setting the budget aside to regard Pyrrha through the small screen. “I've learned to stop asking Faunus related questions. Blake’s answers baffle me anyway. Then again, with the baby around, I’m almost inclined to start asking them again. The two of them have been interesting to listen to…"

"What have you been listening to, exactly?" Pyrrha prompted, seeing the small moment of apprehension on her friend's face.

"Well, as racist as it may sound, cats…”

"You mean the stray cats?" Pyrrha asked, befuddled. "As in the felines?"

Cup of warm coffee in hand, Weiss took a sip and shook her head. "As in Faunus. Blake and the baby keep making strange sounds. It’s almost as if they were cats communicating. Pyrrha, I promise you, I wish I was being as crass as I'm sure I sound.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far. It is strange to hear such a claim.” Pyrrha admitted, almost wincing.

“I swear it.” Weiss told her seriously, only a hint of humor in her tone. “I woke up to the sounds of two cats fighting this morning. I honestly thought there were actual cats arguing on the dumpsters again. It sounded too close, and so I got up to inspect it. Then, Blake and the baby started arguing again after breakfast."

"That’s…” Pyrrha cut herself off and looked around. In truth, she didn’t dare think about it. Doing so could be considered an insult to the Faunus. She had always thought herself to be a voice for good. An activist for the people who could not defend themselves. Many Faunus fell well below the poverty line. Still, if it were true… “Well, that's rather remarkable."

"I know." Weiss said, no venom in her voice in the slightest. Just fact, and the slightest bit of good humor. "I've heard Blake purr before, she does that in her sleep. I just never knew how…._vocal_…Faunus could be. It's alarming when you least expect it…" Then, something else popped into her mind. "This is an entirely hypothetical question, but since the baby is a Faunus, would Yang be able to claim her as a dependent?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Vale's tax laws are different from Atlas." Weiss said. “Vastly so.”

"Hmm, well wouldn't you know, I haven't the foggiest idea." Pyrrha said thoughtfully. "I mean, I would certainly hope so. If Yang is the older sister, as everyone seems to think."

"See in Atlas, that wouldn't matter. Atlas doesn't offer the legal guardians of Faunus any sort of services monetarily." Weiss explained. “It doesn’t matter how you might be related. Atlas has never once thought to include any protection for Faunus youth.”

Pyrrha chose to tactfully switch gears away from such places. "If I may be so bold, if this is to be a permanent arrangement, it might be better to have someone formally adopt her. Vale gives much more consideration to single parents who happen to be hunters. For example, from what I understand, a hunter's medical coverage does not extend to a child in the case of siblings."

"Only parents to offspring?"

"Yes. At least, that's what I have come to understand." Pyrrha nodded. “Then again, given the nature of the profession…”

"Yes, but wouldn't that be true even if Yang would be her legal guardian?" Weiss queried, eyebrow upraised.

"That would depend on the parents. Vale may award custody of the child to someone named in the will and wishes of the deceased.” Pyrrha said after a moment to think further on the topic. “Did the child's parents even have one written? If not, then that may change things, too."

"Something to look into, then." Weiss murmured more to herself than to Pyrrha. "On another note, you should stop by for a visit after your mission. I'm sure we'd be able to talk Blake into some three handed pinochle."

"Oh, and I do love a good game of cards." Pyrrha said hopefully. "I have some choice wine to bring. It was sent to me by my parents just last week. It's far too much for one person. Perhaps you would be inclined to drink it with me? I'd ask Jaune, but he's not fond of the beverage, and you know how Nora is…"

"If you can’t put it in a shot glass it isn’t strong enough, and if it doesn’t have with an umbrella, she wants nothing to do with it. She’s just like Yang in that aspect." Weiss said knowingly. "What about Ren? He likes wine, doesn’t he?"

"A little, but, he drinks rarely. Also, our flavor interests differ greatly, or so I've noticed. He didn't grow up on wine at the dinner table as you and I did as children. His tastes revolve distinctly on whatever can be used for cooking."

Weiss laughed at that. "I suppose that makes sense. I'd be happy to drink it with you. A quiet evening around here might do us all a bit of good. Although, that being said, planting a seedling in Nora's ear about getting Yang out of the house…" Weise trailed off as Pyrrha began to smile.

"I understand." Pyrrha agreed sympathetically. "I'll see what I can do."

“Thank you.” Weiss said offering a soft smile of her own.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: Pacing adjustments. Longer scenes. As mentioned last chapter, one of chapter 6’s scenes was moved up to be placed in this one. Some Faunus speech sprinkled in.   
Original chapter length: 1,772  
Revisited chapter length: 2,920  
“Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

** Chapter 7 **

“Pyrrha said what…?”

“She told Nora that you two would go out and enjoy the evening while we all stayed in and played cards.”

“Uh, why’d she do that for?”

“Because Weiss asked her to do it.”

“Again… Why?”

“Because Yang, it’s a good idea, and Nora’s a good friend.” To Blake, the answer seemed obvious enough.

It just wasn’t enough for Yang. “Maybe I’ll just stay in…”

“Why, are you sick?”

“No…” Yang told her. “It’s not like that…”

The reluctance that Yang exhibited was troubling. It lingered in her disposition as she looked down at the bed, and what Blake had placed there. The Faunus wasn’t sure how to tackle such a complex issue. Still, something had to be done, even if it meant kicking Yang out of the house by force. It was an unpleasant thought. The dark haired woman had to hope that a little coaxing would work instead.

“We’ve all been busy with missions lately, and it about time we all take a breather.” Blake said, putting a positive spin on the ploy. “I think it’ll be good for you to do the same. Take your mind off of things for a little while.”

"I don't know if that’s such a good idea." Yang said reluctantly as she sat on the bed in her room. Blake had set out one of Yang's favorite things to wear when going bar hopping. It rested on the bed, a card of lien sitting neatly in plain sight across the low cut top. "I probably shouldn't go…"

“Why not?” Amber eyes lifted from the assortment of books Blake had been sorting in the nearby shelf.

“I don’t know.” Yang said, refusing to look Blake in the eyes. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea...”

"Yang, look at me." Blake ordered calmly.

To the blonde's credit, she did. It took effort, though. A great deal of it. “What?”

"Things are going to change around here a lot because of the circumstances.” Blake began after a breath. “There’s no way around that, but one expects you to change who you are as a person on top of it.”

“I’m askin’ a lot already. I don’t have any right to go off and hit the town." Yang said. "I need to stay here.”

“Hmm, noble, if not stupid.” Blake told her, returning to her book collection. Placing a few thicker tomes on the shelf, and rearranging others that were out of alphabetical order. Ruby’s bad habit of putting things in the wrong place had struck again. “There's four of us, and there's only one of her. We can pull this off, and we can do it without becoming hermits."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts, don’t argue with me on this." Blake cut her off, putting the rest of her books down on the bedside table none too gently. “Go to the bar, have a good time.” She sighed at length, coming to sit down beside Yang. It hurt to see her friend so torn. "I'm not telling you to go out and get trashed. I'm telling you to go order your favorite pizza, shoot some pool, and enjoy some time with a friend. If you get a beer, no big deal."

"Are you joking? I’ve got a new little sis. She needs me to be a good influence for her, Blake.” Yang protested. “Going to the tavern is being a terrible influence. I don’t want to be a total screw-up."

"She needs you to be you, Yang."

"I'm no good as me." Yang shot back. "Have you seen me? I'm a total and complete wreck as me."

"Ruby seemed to survive you just fine." Blake deadpanned. "Not to mention your uncle for that matter. The man practically sends his liver swimming every day, but he's always been there for you."

"That's completely different…"

"No, it's not.”

“How do you figure?”

“Because I know what you're thinking. You aren't Raven, Yang. You’re not like Qrow, or even your dad for that matter." Blake told her. "You will be here when she needs you to be. I don’t doubt that for a second. Right now she's taking a nap, and doesn't need any of us anymore than Vale needs Grimm."

Yang let out a small laugh at that. "She's not going to be sleeping that long."

"True, but you have three willing babysitters.”

“You shouldn’t have to babysit.”

“This isn't just about you, it's about our friends too." Blake sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Pyrrha's coming by to play cards. Ren and Ruby are going off to do some sort of meditative training. Jaune's going to go visit one of his sisters. We all have plans. Everyone expect for you two. Nora's going to be bored if she's alone all by herself. I know you think that this baby is entirely your responsibility, but I've told you before. We will help you. It's not a burden to keep her with us for an evening."

"Yeah…" Yang took a breath. "Yeah, okay. A pizza in Vale sounds good, and haven't had the chance to hang out with Nora in weeks. I'd like to."

"Then get dressed and go. Nora’s going to be bouncing off the walls." Blake said with a smirk. "You know she hates waiting."

* * *

Bearing gifts of wine and accompanying snacks to enhance the flavor, Pyrrha entered the household just as Yang was leaving. It was a good thing, too, because Nora was truly restless. The three card sharks gathered around, pouring the deep red zinfandel and plating the snacks. They spent a short while just chatting, catching up on conversation that never did interest the others.

Things like politics, and ethical advancement. The three of them were intellectuals that craved those deeper topics of stimuli far more often than their other teammates. Before a friendly game of cards seemed like the perfect time.

Soon enough, the conversation changed to something more relaxed. The three of them began to settle in for a few hours of playing. Blake's ears flattened back as she shuffled the cards, the loud flapping of the cardboard was always just a little too loud for her liking. They popped right back up into the natural position as she began to deal.

"So, anyway, after we put the fire out, they told us they'd send the results in the priority mail." Blake explained, sending cards around the table. “We paid a little extra for it, but I figured that’s money well spent.”

"Really, she knew they were going to pull a hair follicle for a sample." Weiss said with a roll of her eyes. "A full work-up means a full work-up."

"And did you really think that would stop her from flaring up?" Blake laughed.

"Honestly? No, but one can only hope." Weiss took another long, slow sip of her wine, twirling the red liquid within her glass thoughtfully. "Priority mail, that's two days at most…"

Pyrrha hummed softly. "Sounds pretty standard."

"I'd like to think so, but Yang can be a complete basket case." Weiss admitted. "That's a long time for her to be edgy."

“That’s why we paid the extra handling.” Blake told her. “Could you imagine having to wait weeks?”

Weiss only scoffed at that, giving friend a dark look. “What makes you think the building would still be standing?”

Pyrrha could only chuckle. "Don't worry, I'm sure Nora's having a good long talk with her." In fact, if Pyrrha was sure of anything, it was Nora's ability to ramble about all the right things at the right time. "For all of her bubbliness, she's insightful. I wouldn't put it passed her to charge headlong into the issue. Nora’s very good about that."

"A shared trait among them." Weiss observed. "I suppose it's what makes those two such good friends."

"We all practically pushed her out of the door today to get these tests done." Blake agreed, feeling a little guilty. "I don't know if any of this will provide catharsis for her."

"Even if it doesn't, it was the right thing to do." Weiss shrugged. "Once we know the truth for sure, we can start figuring out how best to handle the situation. With any luck, if we can find the birth records, we can find out her name. I'm sick of calling her 'the baby' all the time."

"Agreed." Blake nodded as she picked up her hand. "Your call Weiss."

"Twenty-two on the kitty." Weiss said simply, adjusting the cards she was holding into a proper order. "Ruby seems pretty sure about the familial relation."

"Pass." Pyrrha sighed after a glance. Her hand was absolute garbage, she wasn't about to get into a bidding war. "Do they all look alike? I haven't any idea what Yang's mother looks like."

"Twenty-three." Blake said. "And I'm not entirely sure. Either way, I hope the baby's hair doesn't get as easily knotted as Yang's as it grows out. That's going to be a nightmare with her ears."

"I'm more worried they'll share the same explosive temper." Weiss returned, still considering her hand. "Twenty four."

"Pass." Blake said, pushing the three card lying face down on the table into Weiss's general direction.

"Bupkis." Weiss said, arranging her cards as they began the hand. "I've said it before, I'll say it again. You are a terrible dealer."

"The cards just don't like you." Blake said with a laugh as a mew sounded from the bassinet at her feet. Blake looked down at the sleepy red eyes that were now looking up at her expectantly, just watching her.

_[Kin? Hungry.]_ Another mew just like it followed.

Blake's ears flattened back. She gave a soft growl. _[Not kin.]_ It wasn't particularly friendly sounding, but wasn’t quite anger, either.

If Pyrrha had to guess, she'd claim it was something of an admonishment, but even she couldn’t be sure. "Is everything alright, Blake?" Pyrrha asked, as she watched Blake continue to vocalize to the child.

Finally, Blake’s expression slackened once more. "For now, but if we don't want screeching, someone better make a bottle."

"She didn't like it the last time I made it, remember?" Weiss reminded her. "You had to do it. I'll feed her, if you make it though."

"Actually, may I?" Pyrrha asked.

Weiss and Blake readily agreed.

"In fairness to Weiss, it wasn't the formula she didn't like. It was the nipple on the bottle.” Blake said in passing before once again issuing the same growl when the baby mewed. “I just came into the kitchen and switched it out. Worked like a charm." Sluggishly, she got up to prepare the liquid meal.

"Why are you growling like that, if you don't mind my asking?" Pyrrha had been wondering about it though.

By the way Weiss looked, she was curious too.

"She's addressing me directly, and I don't want her doing that." Blake explained offhandedly.

"Oh…" Pyrrha trailed off, picking up the youngster. Red eyes immediately affixed on Blake. So as a test, Pyrrha switched positions, causing the little Faunus to fuss around. It was amazing that such a small child had made such an attachment so soon. "Shh, you're alright."

"See?" Blake replied, ear twitching in slight aggravation. "If I encourage her mewing at me like that, she might start to think I'm her mother. I don't want her to affix me into that role."

"Aren't you though, in a way?" Two glares of perplexity met her, and Pyrrha shrugged. "Well, I mean bluntly speaking. We're implying a twenty-five year difference between the three of you and her. In Ruby's case, twenty-three years."

"Now I just feel old." Weiss said with a roll of her eyes.

"Far from it." Pyrrha told her. "However, my point still stands. It might be inevitable that she comes to see you all as her parents. The way you all interact with her will need to steer more in that direction as she gets older. I doubt you can avoid it."

"Now that is a horrifying thought." Weiss began, plucking a piece of cheese from the platter in front of them. "I don't even know if I'm entirely comfortable keeping a baby around the house."

Blake was on the offensive. "Don't say that like she's some sort of pet, Weiss."

"Don't twist my words. You know I don't mean it like that." Weiss gave Blake a withering look. "It's just that this is not the sort of community one chooses to raise a child. Furthermore, we have a reputation to maintain. Besides, you said it yourself. You have no intention of parenting her. I certainly don't either, and you can't expect me to."

"No one expects you to. With any luck, she'll attach to Yang and Ruby properly." Blake replied then. "Honestly, if we're going to go through with this, I'd rather only be treated as an aunt or something." She said slowly as she came around the counter, passed Pyrrha the bottle, and then sat back down. "That's not to say I won't look out for her, but I'm not her mother…and it's not my place to try to be."

* * *

At the nearby tavern, Yang and Nora were having a similar conversation about the newest resident of the RWBY household.

"Trust me, Yang, it's not that I don't like babies, because really, I do. I love them. They're so cute, and she especially looked so cuddly." Nora went on to say, mouth full of pizza as she gulped it down. "It's just that she's really small, and I'm not exactly dainty. I'm kind of afraid I'll hurt her. When they're that small, they're just so little, and helpless…and I feel like I do better with older ones…"

"I hear that." Yang said, twiddling the straw in her soda. She reached for another breadstick, dipping it in pizza sauce idly. "I'm used to handling little kids and all, but the last little baby I held? That was Ruby... That tells you how long it's been, and how out of practice I am."

"Nah, you're fine."

"Yeah, well I don't think I'm fine."

"You're not letting all of that 'brute' talk from Weiss finally get to you, are you?" Nora asked then, head cocking to the side. "She's kidding! You know she's kidding, Yang.”

“Maybe…”

“Weiss respects your skill as a huntress.” Nora replied after another large bite. “That's why the two of you always team up for the really hard stuff."

"She's not wrong, though." Yang said offhandedly. "I am a brute. I'm not careful, I don't always think things through. Honestly, I don't think I would have made a good huntress without my team…”

“Why not?”

“Because Nora, I’d suck without them. I don’t even think I’d last a second out in the field.” Yang told her. “Weiss, Ruby, and Blake… They all think before they act when it really counts… I just get angry…"

"And?"

"And I don't want to be a bad influence."

"Ah, I get it. You think that being that way is somehow a horrible thing…" Nora accused with a knowing grin, reaching across the table to flick Yang on the nose. "But it's not.”

“You sure about that?” Yang asked, rubbing the tip of her nose with a soft scowl.

“You're smart, and you do think about things a lot.” Nora told her then, the woman honest as she regarded Yang with a tiny frown. “You know, I’ll bet you probably think about stuff more than the others. You just do it after the heat of the moment... You just... internalize it I guess." Nora shrugged, grabbing another huge slice of pizza. "Anyway, it doesn't really matter too much. There's nothing wrong with a little reflection."

"Nothing right with blowing up first and then asking questions later..."

"Okay, you got me there..." Nora said with a little nod. "At least you know that's not a good thing all the time. So you're not perfect. So what? Nobody is." The carrot-top shrugged, elbows resting casually on the table as she licked a bit of sauce from her thumb. "You talk to your dad yet?"

Yang shook her head. "He goes missing from time to time."

"Oh, why's that?"

"Signal's missions aren't like Beacon's. School kids that age never go on missions without supervision. One adult for every two kids. Not a surprise though, they keep the training wheels on. Kind of have to with all the Grimm in the forests. Only problem is, Dad's a mission's teacher. Good luck tracking him down when he’s out there."

"Ah." Nora said slowly, never having met the man. "And so your uncle's out of the question too?"

"Ruby called him, but he refused to pick up. Something about blowing his cover… All he texted was that he was doing something for Ozpin." Yang sighed at length, really wishing for one of them to come home. "I know I shouldn't be so worried. I'll figure it out somehow. I always do. I just wish this wouldn't fall on everyone else's shoulders so much.”

“There’s nothing wrong with asking for help.”

“Still, I don't want to bog them down."

"That's what friends are for." Nora told her. "If you can't bog down your friends every now and then, who can you trust when times get hard? I know you don't like people worrying about you, but they do. If they want to help, then, let them help."

“Can it really be that easy?”

Nora blinked at the question. “I guess that’s up to you.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: The time skip no longer happens in this chapter. We are staying with the baby (Ace) much longer this time around. Her informative scene has been entirely re-written to reflect that. This chapter contains 3 mostly new scenes and 1 old scene. Other scenes have been shifted to later on in the story.
> 
> Original chapter length: 2,894   
Revisited chapter length: 4,542
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]
> 
> AYangThang: Only one chapter this week since it’s a long one and most of the content is entirely new.

** Chapter 8 **

Ruby came home early the next morning. She wished that she could say she was as relaxed and refreshed. Instead, her training with Ren had given her a lot to think about. Plenty of little thoughts were still buzzing around in her mind restlessly. He was always able to give a fresh perspective on things, and she appreciated his honesty.

Ren was always was always gentle with his thoughts, but never out of pity. He wasn’t the sort of man to hand out empty platitudes on a whim. It had never been his way. He was the sort to keep to himself, wordlessly offering his support from the back of the group unless otherwise invited to speak up. He just didn’t bother with the affairs of others, likely because he had his hands full enough on a daily basis.

His advice had been easy to follow, generic little facts that Ruby could have come up with on her own.

She slipped off her shoes and padded towards the kitchen, the wafting of coffee telling her that someone was already awake. Weiss sat at the table, the newspaper already spread across part if the table. Weiss gazed down at it idly, pen in hand. She circled low ranking missions that could be done in a day or less. It wouldn’t pay much, but, at least it was honest work.

“You stayed out all night.” Weiss spoke in her usual disinterested manner, not bothering to lift her gaze from her current project. “If you were going to do that, would it have killed you to send a text?”

“Sorry, I was caught up in training. I didn’t think we’d be gone so long.”

“I noticed.” Blue eyes flicked up at the statement, holding the gaze of silver for a mere moment before yielding. Her eyes returned to the paper. The sound of the pen aggressively making another mark punctuating her feelings on the matter. “Warm milk is in the pan.” Weiss said, making another circle. “I fingered you’d try to sneak in before Blake woke up.”

Caught red-handed, the only thing Ruby could do was concede defeat. With the warm milk waiting for her, it was hard to think she had lost the battle of wits. All that it needed was the powdered additive she liked best. “So are Yang and Blake still sleeping?” Ruby asked as she reached for the small canister in the nearby cupboard.

“Yes, although Blake just went back to bed. She was up even earlier than I was, feeding Ada. Yang’s dead to the world.” Weiss replied quietly. “Nora kept her out until last call, and managed to ply a few beers into her besides. I’d be surprised if she stumbled out of bed before ten.”

“We’ve been doing that a lot, lately…” Ruby said unhappily. “Goading Yang into doing things she doesn’t really feel like doing. I feel kind of bad about it…”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“No…”

“Then there’s nothing else to be done about it. We do the best we can, and that’s all we can do.” Weiss told her setting her pen down and folding the paper into a fourth of its size. “I won’t pretend we haven’t made a few missteps in this already, but I don’t regret our actions, mistakes or not.”

“Yang’s really not taking all of this well…”

“I don’t know about that.” Weiss grumbled bitterly. “What sort of metric do you even use to quantify that sort of thing, anyway?”

Ruby didn’t have an answer for that, and it was probably better that she didn’t. Weiss scowled darkly as she thought about it, finding no comfort in the way the silence permeated the room around them. Soft breathing was not enough to soak up the deafening silence, and the booming thoughts that were allowed to run wild because of it.

“I don’t know, either, Ruby.” Weiss was the first to break it. “However, I do know one thing. She’s taking it better than I would have.” In that, Weiss was sure. She lifted the coffee to her lips, frowning down at her own emotional mismanagement. The coffee had been splashed with Kahlua instead of cream. “The baby’s not even related to me, and here I am, proving to be a monumental disappointment anyway…”

Ruby nodded, knowing that Weiss generally drank her coffee black, unless it had been spiked with something. It made the younger huntress take pause, because in truth, she wasn’t a big fan of drinking. At least, not as a half-assed coping system that proved to never work anyway. Looking down at her own warm drink, she realized how easy it would be to add that little something extra.

Bringing the hot chocolate to her lips didn’t do a thing to help, either.

“How was your training?” Weiss asked then, as if changing the subject would save them both from gloomy thoughts.

“I tried to concentrate like usual, but I couldn’t. My head just wasn’t in it like I thought I could force it to be.” Ruby told her, coming to sit at the table beside her partner. “After a few hours, we spent most of the night just talking.”

“What did he have to say about all of this? Anything good?”

“Typical stuff, mostly.” Ruby said. “Take each day as it comes, and that sort of thing. At least, that’s how it started at first. He derailed a little, and it was the less encouraging things that I found the most helpful.”

“Such as?”

“His past.” Ruby told her, watching blue eyes study her thoughtfully. “The upbringing he had before all of that. There wasn’t any sage words of wisdom, or anything. It was just that hearing him talk about the life he had growing up made everything else going on right now seem a little less crappy, if that makes any sense… I don’t really know how to describe it.”

“You don’t have to.” Weiss said with a little nod. “I know what you mean…” The sound the baby’s cry made Weiss sigh as she pushed herself up from the table. “I suppose it’s my turn this time…”

Even as Weiss excuse herself from the kitchen, she could feel the implication sinking deeper into her. In truth, she wasn’t sure she was how she felt about it, either. Surely, this was Yang’s responsibility, or Ruby’s at the very least. Weiss was sure that it could never be hers. She’d be little more than a lackluster replacement, and a child deserved so much more than that.

She was not suited to the needs of a child, and she had never given any thought to bearing a child herself. If the company had fallen into her hands, motherhood would have been inevitable. She would have gotten married, and she would have had a child. Progeny and the line of succession would have held true for one more generation. It wouldn’t have mattered if she wanted to be a mother or not. That future would have been set in stone, regardless. Refusing to think about it was just easier than the alternative.

Her father freed her of that burden completely. When the title of heiress had been stripped from her, any responsibility she had to adhere to his wishes died out along with it.

She had been alright with that, too, thanks to the team members that had unrepentantly pervaded her life. She hadn’t been particularly keen on becoming a parent anyway. She was insipid enough to know her skills rested elsewhere.

A place far away from parenthood, and the thin veneer of what might be called familial love…

* * *

The two days passed by at a snail’s pace. There was a very real conversation to be had about what they should do. Instead of broaching the topic like reasonable adults, the four women found solitude an easier escape. All of them fell into the habits of their trade. Ruby obsessed over weaponry, Weiss with dust, Yang with training, and Blake with charity.

Each of them had spent plenty of days just like this in the past, especially when they were confined within the dorms at Beacon Academy. They would gladly spend several more the very same way. It was a horrible method to fill the void, and it didn’t work the way any of them wanted to. Spoken word turning to ash on the tips of their tongues. Apologies and critiques alike couldn’t even reach the air.

Everyone was tense, waiting for the one thing that could jumpstart a healing process among them.

A knock came heavily upon the door, startling the four women out of their midafternoon stupor. There were few things that could have prepared the household for the arrival of the mail carrier, distractions were hard to come by. They had ambled about their routine as best as they could, but it was a fickle thing as the hours taunted them slowly.

It was almost as if this moment was too taboo to even come at all, but, here it was.

Yang opened the door, signing her name to receive the packet of sensitive information. The tall man handed it over, wishing her a good day as he continued on his delivery route. He didn’t seem to notice the gravity of the situation, and maybe that was fitting for a person such as himself. Tasked with passing off closed documents like this all the time, immune to thoughts of the contents within. She wished she could feel the same. That she could be as ignorant as he seemed to be.

Now that the awaited packet had arrived, it seemed too intimidating to touch it, let alone open it.

Yang licked her lips, the thick packet in hands as she stood numbly in the living room. It felt heavy, the white envelope sealed tightly and tied with twine to prevent being tampered with.

Weiss looked up from her place at the sofa, the magazine on her lap left forgotten. Ruby was on one side, and Blake on the other. Just moments before, Blake had just poured everyone a hot mug of tea. Ruby was busy dumping a handful of sugar packets into hers, while Weiss tapped at her mug with her fingers. They were all on edge, a mix of indescribable emotions clouding their features.

“Well, are you going to open it?” Weiss prompted expectantly when Yang continued to stand there, gazing off into worlds unseen.

Yang wasn’t alone in her anxiety. It was a little comfort, but not nearly enough. “Yeah, I am...”

“What are you waiting for?” Weiss asked as she produced a pocket knife from her purse, sliding it across the table. “Use that.”

It was just another reminder of who they were deep down at their core. The dangerous people that they had inevitably become. They were huntresses with the best of intentions, perhaps. Yet, they were deadly forces to reckon with, all the same. It was the life they’d chosen, embracing it entirely. The lives they lived were not the sort that promised a long life, or a happy future.

It was hard to reach for the knife, considering that.

Sure, Yang knew the life well. Her upbringing was nothing less than that of a huntsman’s daughter. Thinking that anyone else might be subjected to that sort of danger was blood curdling. The blonde could feel the soft buzzing of trepidation from beneath her skin. It was not the knife itself that sickened her, but rather, all of the lessons that came inherent with it.

The calculated world view, the attitude required, even the training...

To be a huntsman’s daughter was a cruel thing, because life’s lessons came early. They had to, there was no choice in that. To keep a child in this household, there was only path that would ensure her safety. Passing down the tools of the trade, and the discipline required to wield them. A simple lockbox would never be enough to protect curious fingers and inquisitive minds. Not when the inhabitant themselves were armed to the teeth, and trained to eviscerate an oncoming threat with little more than a reflex.

To be exposed even slightly to such a life…

“Open it...” Ruby told her. “Don’t keep us in suspense.”

It promised danger to anyone even slightly naive about it. One curious question is all it would take, and Yang had learned that the hard way. Misjudging adventure for near suicide as a child. Taking her sister along for the trip. She had been foolish to think she could be just like her parents. Trudging around in the wilderness without the years of training required to survive.

They were not normal people…

They were huntresses…

In spite of it all, she reached for the knife. Cutting the twine and slicing the seal was a momentary task. Pulling out the papers, it took a moment to find her voice. “Top page is an itemized list…” Yang began uneasily. “According to this, they found her birth certificate. Apparently that’s enclosed. They’ve got her registry papers for citizenship in here too. Let’s see…”

A beat of silence later, Yang pulled out another piece of paper. As was expected, her only traceable relatives on her mother's side were Yang, and Qrow.

“Says here that her name’s Ace.” Yang said. “Ace Branwen, she was just over a month old when Ruby found her. Huh, strange…” Yang murmured, flipping over a few pages. “Seems like there’s no record of health…”

“That makes sense…” Blake said. “She’s village born, so there wouldn’t be any record in the kingdom. The village doctor would have had that.”

“Wouldn’t they have sent in a copy to the kingdom?” Ruby asked, leaning forward just enough to see Blake on the other side of the sofa. “I mean, the birth record alone isn’t enough, right?”

“If everything was digital, sure, but Vale isn’t like Atlas.” Weiss told her. “The further away from the heart of the kingdom you go, the less technology can be relied upon. Transmission systems are powerful, but even they have limits if a village hasn’t be outfitted with an amplifier. A village with less than a hundred people wouldn’t be able to afford something like that.”

“What about next of kin?” Blake wondered then. “Anyone we don’t know about?”

Yang took another breath. “According to this, the only surviving relatives on her dad's side is a withering old cat Faunus who lives in Vacuo.”

Blake nodded. “Would Raven tell him anything?”

“Nah, I don’t think so…” Yang murmured. “Raven wasn’t like that. He probably doesn’t even know that he had a grandchild. Even if he does, according to this, the guy’s pushing ninety. He’s in no condition to raise her.”

“Did Raven leave a will?” Weiss asked.

“No, not that this shows. Raven didn’t have one in Ozpin’s file on her, either. She probably refused to keep one.”

“What about dad? Does he have one laying around?” Ruby asked. “You think he knew anything?”

“I doubt it. If he has a will of hers, it’d be way too old to help us now.” Yang said, coming to take a seat beside her sister. “Uncle Qrow might have known something, but, only if he made a guess or two. I don’t think that Raven would have specifically told him about the pregnancy.”

“Well, that settles it.” Weiss said quietly. “She’s your sister, Yang.”

“I know…” Yang hadn't even needed to look at the stupid paperwork, she had made her choice several sleepless nights before that.

“Right…” Ruby said, “But now that we know for sure, what do we do now?”

“The same thing we’ve been doing, I guess.” Yang told her with a shaky sigh. “We’ll just have to figure it out as we go…”

* * *

As a team, the unanimous decision to raise Ace amongst themselves went without saying. There wasn't even a question in their minds, although, as they all soon came to find out, keeping a baby meant changes.

Big changes.

There was one thing they couldn’t put off any longer, and the sooner they dealt with it, the better.

"So, uh…" Yang scratched her head. "How are we gunna…"

"I'm not exactly sure, but whatever you do, it had better be done carefully." Blake said as she examined the little girl’s ears. "I don't think she knows to fold her ears down yet. You'll have to do it for her.”

"Fold them down? No way." Yang said looking like Blake had grown a second head. "I don't want to hurt her."

“It doesn’t hurt if you’re gentle. Someone has to fold them, Yang.” Blake told her, pointing to her own ears as proof. “See how big my ear canal is? You think hers are any different?”

“Oh, man…” Yang cringed. “You’re kidding me.”

“I’m not, if you pour even a little water over her head, and it’s all going to go rushing inside.” Blake told her. “That’s what’ll end up hurting. Especially if they get infected. You absolutely don't want to get too much water in them."

"Never mind the bath, let's just soak a towel and scrub her with that." Ruby said thoughtfully. "How dirty could she possibly be?"

Weiss cringed. "I don't know, Ruby, why don't you sit in your own excrement for more than five seconds, and figure that out."

"Point taken." Ruby shivered with disgust at the thought.

“Well, I mean, we have been using the wipes…” Yang said with a shrug. "It's not like she's totally filthy."

"She isn't clean by any stretch of the imagination, either." Weiss shot back.

“Sponging her down got us by, but we can keep doing that much longer. If we’re going to keep her around, we’ve got to get used to stuff like this.” Ruby said, scratching her head with a sigh. Even if what she said was obvious, she felt just as uneasy about it as everyone else. "Oh, this is stupid. Come on guys, what could be so hard?"

"Okay then, what do you suggest?" Weiss snapped.

It was amazing to think that four huntresses, all of whom were able to survive out in the wilds for days, couldn't figure out how to bathe a baby. They'd certainly put off the issue long enough, even by a human's sense of smell. None of them wanted to think what Blake thought of it.

"Well, I was assuming we would just, ya know, put her in there?" Ruby said looking down into the now partially filled bath tub.

"She's too little." Yang said with a shake of her head. "She can't support herself on her own, and we can't just lay her in there, least I don't think we can."

"Unless one of us gets in there with her and holds her." Blake replied. "Maybe turn on the shower, and wash her that way?"

"Um, I don't think so." Ruby said hesitantly. "Though, I guess if we did, at least she can't smack us in the face."

Weiss was dumbfounded. "What on remnant are you even talking about?"

"Funny story, actually." Yang said. "Uncle Qrow's apartment didn't have a bathtub, so when we went to stay with him, we had to use the shower. Anyway, Ruby was still a baby, couldn't stand on her own yet, so he carried her in the shower with him. She flailed around, smacked him in the face, and he almost dropped her." Yang explained. "Little kids are really, really, slippery…after that he got wise and put her in a bucket until she was old enough to stand still."

"Why am I not surprised?" Weiss replied. "Well, we are not putting her into our bucket. It's filthy, and we put chemicals in it. By the looks of it, someone is going to have to bite the bullet and get into the tub with her." The tone of her voice implying that she was _not _going to be the one to get into the tub with the Faunus.

"Can't we just stick her in the sink?" Blake asked, leaning on the door. "That's kind of baby sized, one of us can hold her. Someone else can actually wash her down."

"This is absolutely idiotic. You can stay here and complicate that matter all you like." Weiss said as she made her way out of the bathroom. "I am going to go to the store and buy one of those contraptions made for this sort of thing."

"Remember, whatever you buy, you have to lug it home." Blake said.

"I'm not lugging anything." Weiss protested. "Come on Yang, you're coming too. We have a full list of other things we need to get, might as well get it all in one trip."

“Oh, sure, turn me into the pack mule...”

“She’s _your_ sister!” Weiss scolded. “Come on, let’s get going.”

* * *

Yang hated shopping for things on a list, especially when Weiss was the one who made it.

They collected items, placing them in the shopping cart one by one. Yang followed, hands in her pockets as she watched Weiss carefully fixate over new, desperately needed purchases. There was a method to the madness, somehow Yang could tell that. She picked up the box beside the one that Weiss was looking at, this bath seat was adjustable.

“No, not that one.” Weiss told her distractedly. “It doesn’t seem to be very good quality.”

“They look the same to me...” Yang told her. “Color may be different. This one’s also twenty lien cheaper.”

“It also lacks three core safety features.” Weiss said, tapping the box she held. “We’re getting this one.”

“Okay, what’s next then…” Yang said trailing after Weiss as they made their way down the aisle.

“You go get more nursery water, I’ll get the rash cream and the wipes. Then we should have everything.”

“Yeah.” Yang agreed, headed off in the right direction. “Sure thing...”

Weiss watched Yang go, a small scowl forming across her features as she realized that the blonde seemed to be lost someplace in the recesses of her own mind. Weiss couldn’t blame her, of course, there was plenty to think about. Too much, perhaps, for any measure of comfort.

Weiss felt her own destination would prove to yield the same sort of plague on her mind. In the end, it was unsettling for the ex-heiress.

There were too many considerations to sort through. The products on the shelves melding together as she thought about the huge undertaking they’d all just agreed to. It was all the more tangible as she scanned the back of two rash cream products. There she was, willingly sinking herself deeper into the livelihood of a child. With a small curse, she tossed both creams into the basket.

Had she lost her mind?

Yang came back with two gallons of nursery water just in time to see Weiss looking over a few books resting on the end of the isle. Looking back at the cart promised that it would already be a costly purchase. As Weiss added the thick tome to the stack, the total cost promised to rise.

“Do you really think we’re doing the right thing?” Yang asked, her eyes more focused on a teething toy that was hanging up on display.

Weiss turned with a second book in hand to regard Yang carefully. The pages slipping shut, her place in the index lost as she looked back down at the cover of the book. “I can’t say, really. There’s only one other alternative, and I’d rather not think about that, either…”

“Yeah, well I feel like I’d be a really shitty person if I didn’t think about it a little…”

“Put it out of your mind.”

“I can’t. I want to, but I just can't...” Yang said, setting the water in the basket one at a time. “I just keep thinking, maybe she would be better off with someone else.” Yang told her, leaning on the cart, feeling it roll into until it rested against the store shelves. “Someone who isn’t like us…”

“An interesting notion at face value... Too bad it holds no water under scrutiny…”

“Weiss, we live dangerously. Our own lives aren’t assured. The missions won’t stop, they can’t. The way I see it, best thing to do would be to keep her away from all of it…”

“Indeed, because that worked so well in the past...”

“That’s kind of the point, I don’t want it repeating.”

“That’s a lovely sentiment, but it’s also useless.” Weiss said with a roll of her eyes, tossing the next book in before joining Yang. Both of them leaning on the side of the basket. “Your curiosity nearly killed you as a child. You started wondering about your mother so much that you even put Ruby in danger. You’ve lived your whole life struggling with who your mother was. Now you’re telling me you want to put someone else in that very same position.”

“I didn’t say that.” Yang shot back. “I’m just asking if you think we’re making the right choice.”

“Well, therein lies the problem…” Weiss told her. It was then she reached for one of the soft toys, examining it carefully to ensure it was safe. “There is no right choice in this, Yang. If we don’t raise her, someone else will. There’s no option in that.”

“Then… If we can raise her?”

“There is no ‘if’, blockhead.” Weiss told her quietly, placing the toy in the basket. “Hypocrisy made out of kindness is still just that, hypocrisy. It still has the capacity to be dangerous, regardless of if you have the best intentions. Your father hid so many things from you, and look how that turned out.”

“But, if it keeps her safe…”

“It won’t do any bloody good.” Weiss said knowingly. “Not if she’s anything like you in the slightest.”

“She might not be…”

“Is that really a risk you want to take?” As Weiss said that, she refused to think of her own upbringing. Years of failings culminating in her own dismissal from the Schnee legacy. To think she might ever follow in her father’s sordid footsteps was perhaps the highest insult she could think of. To extend that insult onto others was something she just couldn’t do. “You’re better than your parents, Yang.”

“Yeah, maybe, but I’m still a screw-up too.”

“The way I see it, odds are that she’s better off staying with us than with anyone else.” Weiss said quietly. “I’d make that bet ten times out of ten.”

“Why?”

“If I stood here long enough to give you all the reasons why, we’d be here all night, so you’ll have to settle for three.”

“Three?”

“Firstly, over the years, I’ve entrusted my life to you more times than I can count.” Weiss began, ticking the reasons off on her fingers. “Somehow, miraculously, I’m not dead yet. Secondly, when my family cast me aside, it was my teammates that gave me a new one. Thirdly, every time the odds are stacked against us, we figure it out.” Weiss shot back, flinging her long white hair over her shoulder with a flick of her wrist. “Now, if you’re finished being paranoid, I’d like to go home…”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another surprise update since I have free time this evening.
> 
> Significant Changes: This chapter contains completely new scenes. Scenes that were only alluded to in the other fiction, but never shown. The exact text was the following:
> 
> “That one typical little moment was going to become something of a routine among them. Trial and error. Problem solving as they went. At first, there were a great many problems to sift through. Personal issues for Yang. Aggravations for Weiss. Ponderings about moral stigma, for Blake. And Ruby watched it all, guilty that she was the one who caused it.”
> 
> I regret not covering those things more clearly. I regret not taking the time to write them. At first I wanted to simply write a family centric story only, but leaving those milestones out took out a huge chunk of characterization that I turned out to actually wanted later on. I could have done without it, but the story was lesser for those omissions, and that was one of the things I truly felt was unforgiveable.
> 
> As such these next upcoming chapters will be unseen content for a while. Pure additions to the story. I hope you like them.
> 
> Original chapter length: 1,749   
Revisited chapter length: 3,368
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

** Chapter 9 **

Ruby was in the kitchen slicing up potatoes when the squeaky sound of the mailbox was too much to ignore. Setting the knife down and drying her hands on her apron, she stepped outside to gather what was in the box. There was a sizeable chunk of mail. Most of it was junk sent by mission recruiters. The invitational note cards came with a seat at a banquet dinner, along with promises of big payouts, fame, and fortune.

The team leader grumbled under her breath, crumpling each and every single one she found.

Today there were several, each wanting hunters and huntresses to sign up for the next biggest craze. What those overzealous advertisements rarely explained were just how dangerous those missions could be, especially the ones that came from the Schnee Dust Company. It might as well have been a death wish waiting to happen, but for newly minted teams, they sounded like a dream come true. If only those flyers provided half of what they claimed, then maybe they wouldn't be so worthless.

Beneath all the junk mail, there were a few household bills that were due at the end of the month.

“Mail’s here.” Ruby called as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. “Mostly bills…”

“Just what we need.” Yang called back from the rear of the home. “More crap.“

“My mission payout came too!” Ruby fought back a smile, one of her payments had finally come. Six cards of lien arriving inside a sealed envelope. It was the agreed upon funding for a mission completed weeks ago. Like always, Ruby took some of it for herself. She left the rest of the cards on the kitchen table for someone else to deal with.

Yang’s envelope sat there too, with a much thicker stack of cards of various denominations. Ruby had never paid too much attention to her earnings, and her personal ethos as a huntress had always been rather simple. So long as her most basic necessities were met, the little luxuries would come to her in time. She hadn’t been proven wrong yet, but, she had seen firsthand the prices of baby things across store shelves.

Knowing the skyrocketing expenditures made her frown down at the two cards she had taken. It wasn’t justifiable, not this time. Biting her lip, she tossed those back onto the stack of household funds too.

“You don’t have to do that, you know…”

“I don’t really have a choice…” Ruby trailed off, embarrassed that her personal conflict had been seen. “We’re all going to have to start pulling our weight around here, and that means I can’t be skimming off the top of my earnings anymore.”

“Suit yourself.” Blake said with a shrug as she counted out her own earnings, leaving a majority of it in the pile with the rest. “Personally, I think you’re doing yourself a disservice by not taking some of the money for yourself. We all take a little of the top, you should too.” She showed Ruby the few cards she had taken before slipping them into a thin wallet. “You’re the one that earned it in the first place. You should take a little reward.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like I earn all that much money to begin with.” Ruby shot back, grabbing a can of soda from the back of the fridge and popping it open. “Besides, there’s another mouth to feed now, and that’s not a responsibility I can just ignore. It's fine, though. I can make do without it.”

“Ah, so you think everything Yang can’t manage falls on you now…” Blake said as she reached into the fridge too grabbing the carton of soy milk and a glass to drink it from. “You know that’s not true, right?"

“It’s more my responsibility than yours. I can’t ask you and Weiss to pay for Ace.” Ruby said honestly. “I know that Yang pulls in a decent income for a huntress, but I’m not sure that it’ll be enough to compensate.”

“We’ll get by.” Blake told her, replacing the milk and regarding her friend earnestly. “We always do, and that’s not going to change just because you pull some spending cash off the top of your mission earnings.”

“Maybe…” Ruby said quietly, her voice non-committal at best. She washed her hands in the sink before returning to the potatoes sitting on the cutting board. Her eyes focused entirely on her task, completely aware of the way Blake watched in concern. “Do you think I should change my certification?”

“I don’t know, Ruby.” Blake murmured swigging down the white liquid in her glass before sighing. “I guess that depends on what you’re looking to accomplish. If you’re worried about putting food on the table, don’t be.”

“I sense a ‘but’ someplace in that…” Ruby said, depositing the sliced up potatoes into the bottom of the pot that sat nearby.

“I won’t lie, our household income holds us back from having a lot of little things.” The Faunus had looked over the numbers more than once, and there wasn’t any denying it. “We’re never going to be stockpiling money away at this rate, and we might need to let go of a few things every now and then.”

“Yeah, see, I was afraid you’d say that.” Ruby went back into the fridge to pull out a slab of meat and what little was left of their vegetables. “I don’t mind cutting back on the junk food. It's not good for us anyway. We’re probably not going to be ordering out as much, either. I don’t think Weiss will be very happy about that.”

“It’s an adjustment, but we’ll get used to it.” Blake said only partially believing her own words as she joined Ruby at the sink to wash her hands. “In the spirit of that, I’ll even help with dinner…”

* * *

Blake wasn’t daft…

There was something on Ruby’s mind. Whatever it was had very little to do with the money on the kitchen table. The team gathered around the television for dinner, plates in their laps and eyes glued to whatever sitcom happened to be playing. It seemed like an average night, and something that would have been relatively normal..

If the woman in the armchair wasn’t so focused on her plate...

Ruby cut into her meat distractedly, quietly taking small bites of her already small portion size. That simply wasn’t normal, not for a huntress.

Even Weiss, who had gotten up to retrieve seconds began to notice. It wasn't just a minor concern. A huntress needed to eat. The nutritional needs of a working huntress was almost double that of the average woman. A strong aura completely depended on a well-balanced diet, and the same held true for most semblances. Rigorous training and long missions promised to take a toll on the body. Over time, it showed in poor health, lackluster semblance control, and weakened aura. Those rock-bottom deficits could only be recovered by replenishing vital nutrients that had been lost on the road.

Vitamins and supplements were no replacements for a well-rounded diet, half of which still sat on Ruby’s plate untouched. The way that Ruby pushed her carrots around the plate didn’t bode well, and the way she ignored the potatoes seemed like outright blasphemy.

Ruby looked up when a cold hand touched her forehead, Weiss gazing down at her partner in concern.

“You better not be sick.” Weiss told her, adjusting her palm to a different location. “Though, it appears you don’t have a fever.”

“I’m not sick.” Ruby said, ducking away from her partner’s inspection. “I’m just not hungry.”

“Which is why I’m worried.” Weiss deadpanned, pointing to the unopened box of cookies that had been left forgotten on the coffee table. “When the human garbage disposal isn’t hungry, there’s a problem.”

Ruby glared back at her, annoyed at the offhanded insult. It didn't last, though, because the concern in blue eyes was genuine. Weiss was trying not to let it show, but it came through loud and clear.

Ruby looked down at her untouched food. “I’m just thinking, that's all…”

“You’ve been thinking all day.” Blake pointed out, she was also on her second helping, and Yang was on her way to retrieve her third after a hard day of combat practice with Pyrrha. Ruby was the only one not eating. “Normally you’d be fighting with Yang over the last bit of roast, but she’s gotten up twice and you didn’t even seem to notice.”

“They’ve got a point.” Yang said, sitting down with her third massive helping. “You’re just poking at your food, which I’d bet you anything has gone cold.”

“I want to back to the village.” Ruby said, spearing a carrot onto her fork and stuffing it into her mouth. She only did it to appease the three sets of eyes watching at her.

“The village where you found Ace?” Weiss asked, watching Ruby nod. “Why would you want to go back there? You said there was nothing left.”

“I only buried Raven.” Ruby said, forcing down another bite of roast, grimacing as she swallowed. Yang was right, it had gone cold. “I didn’t have time to take care of the rest. I didn't have the equipment. It was getting dark, a baby was the only survivor, and I had to escort the merchant I was going to leave there back to Vale..." All in all, Ruby hadn't had a choice at the time. "Just a basic threat assessment told me that there was no way I could have stayed to bury the rest of the dead.”

“It’s been a few days, Ruby.” Weiss said slowly. “Scavengers and Grimm have probably picked the place over by now.”

“What’s left of the remains shouldn’t be left to the elements though. All that will do is spread disease and bolster Grimm sightings in the area.” Ruby shot back. “I want to go and take care of things properly like I should have done days ago…” Looking down at her plate only made her angry and she set it off to the side. “I've got to go back, it’s the least I can do.”

* * *

“Yang, are you sure that you and Ruby will be okay by yourselves?” Blake asked on her hands and knees, taking care to properly secure two bedrolls from their mission supply closet. They were old, beat up, and would probably only last another year or two. “Weiss could provide back-up. Only one of us needs to stay here with Ace, and I can do that.”

“Nah, she should stay behind too. You can catch up on your reading, or something.” The blonde said in a way that was almost too confidant for her own good. “Ruby and I will probably be fine on our own.”

“There could be Grimm in the area.” The Faunus warned, tying one of the bedrolls off before rolling up the second one. “It might do you two some good to have a little bit of backup.”

“Could be a lot of things out there, Blake.” Yang told her knowingly. “Besides, it would be stupid to drag anyone else along with us. It’s just a day trip.”

“A day trip with the possibility of lasting a lot longer.” Blake shot back. “You don’t know what it will be like when you get there.”

“Even if it’s bad, Ruby and I will camp out and be back by tomorrow at the latest.”

“Make sure you pack food.”

Yang grinned at that. “What, don’t think there’ll be anything to hunt?” Sadly, that grin was broken and it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“I think what’ll be left might be too tainted to eat…” Blake deadpanned dryly, refusing to look at that fractured composure any more than she had to.

“Hey, I’m already on it.” Yang wagged two tightly sealed packages in front of Blake. “Relax a little, okay?”

“I’m as relaxed as I’m going to be.” Blake told her. “I still think that this is a completely idiotic idea…”

“Yeah, well, it might be…” Yang told her. “You know, it’s not like I don’t believe Ruby. I just need to go and see the village for myself.” Yang stuffed two of her favorite meals-ready-to-eat in the front pouch of her mission pack. “It was a huge part of my childhood, and to think that it’s gone…” She didn’t want to think about it.

“I don’t know, Yang. You didn’t see her the night she came home. Ruby was pretty disturbed by it.” Blake told her.

“I’m not really surprised. Ruby doesn’t grieve well, never has.” Yang let loose a slow breath, the pit in her stomach made worse by all of the bad memories that she recalled. “We weren’t taught how to cope with that kind of thing. Dad shuts down. Uncle Qrow drinks. Ruby clings onto things… Honestly, she probably deals with it the best, all things considered.”

Blake said nothing as she clipped the bags into place. That task completed, she went rummaging around in the back of the closet to replenish the first aid supplies in both bags. “I don’t know if I like the idea of making her go back there.”

“She’s the one who suggested it…”

Blake clenched her jaw, stifling her next retort. It was true. Ruby had made the statement between mouthfuls of roast beef.

Her logic had been simple. Someone should go back and bury the dead. The villagers deserved better than to be left for the elements. She made the statement so fast that no one took her seriously at first. No one, except for Yang. It was only later that the choice was put into motion. Doing the dishes that the sisters stood side by side near the sink, formulating a plan that neither of their teammates could fully support. It was too soon, for too many reasons. Yet, the sisters were set on it.

Blake couldn’t make a fitting argument against it, and neither could Weiss.

Blake bit her lip, trying to think of one anyway. She refused to consider of all of the things that could go wrong as she grabbed a small tube of disinfectant. Her fingers wrapped around the tube, squeezing it a little more tightly than she ever meant to. Words were harder to come by than Blake wanted to admit. The fact that she could hear Yang stuffing a few more items into her mission pack certainly didn’t help.

“Ruby might have made the offer for you to come along, Yang, but she did that for your sake…” The Faunus finally found herself saying. “Ruby always bounces back, but you two are cut from the same cloth. When something big like this happens, you don’t just get over it. I’m worried about her…”

“She’s fine, Blake.”

“Is she?” Blake shot back, her ears wilting at the thought of it. “Or, are you just hoping that she is?”

“Want me to doubt her? What good does that do? Even if she isn’t, maybe this will help.” Yang said quietly, her own frown working its way across her face. Fists forming at her sides as another slow breath dropped from her mouth in the form of a curse.

“Yeah, and what about you?” The Faunus wondered aloud, the bite in her tone more out of frustration rather than anything else. The hopelessness she felt pure in that alone. “I know you don’t like it, but I’m worried about you. Both of you.”

“You’re wasting your time, it’s pointless to worry about us. We’re used to this.” Yang muttered, tossing the final bits of field gear into her bag more violently than she needed to. “Look, I can’t speak for Ruby, but I need this too. I was going to end up visiting the village anyway. I need to see Raven for myself.”

“Yang…”

“Hey, it’s not like I plan to go dig up her grave, or anything like that.” The blonde shrugged, zipping up her bag. “The house should still be standing though. If it is, I want to see what’s left. Maybe she left something behind.”

That was it then, decision made. There would be no talking Yang out of it. Somehow, she suspected that Weiss wasn’t having better luck with Ruby, either.

It was dangerous to go to a fallen village in the years after an attack. Even if Grimm hadn’t torn it to bits initially, they were known to congregate around areas filled with malignant energy. Destroyed villages were good hunting grounds for depressed people and suicidal huntsmen looking for a swift death. The Grimm would lay waiting in the shadows. Even if no food came, they’d begin enjoying the dens they cultivated from the shambles of society.

Sending Ruby and Yang alone out into the wilderness was unthinkable.

They were not at their best. Neither one of them were emotionally sound enough to ward away the Grimm. The creatures sought negativity by nature. If anything, the sisters held just the sort of thoughts that would leave Grimm slobbering for the taste of blood. Even with that in mind, it seemed that she could only see the sisters off with a sigh and hope for their safe return.

After a restless night, daybreak came sooner than anyone truly wanted.

Weiss was on edge, sending Ruby off with a final lecture about keeping an eye on her brash older sibling. She watched them leave the house with squared shoulders and a clear goal in mind. Any other time, the ex-heiress would have found herself falling into step either behind or beside Ruby. In truth, she had fully expected to be ordered to gear up and be ready to leave at sunrise.

Instead, the orders passed down to her were nothing like she had expected. She needed to stay here, at the house. Ruby had spoken with such finality that no argument could have been made.

“Do you think they’ll be alright?” Weiss asked, arms crossed as she leaned on one side of the doorframe. She had packed her mission bag too, just in case. It sat just inside near the door, but Ruby didn’t want her to go along.

“In what way?” Blake asked, shaking her head at the stupidity of that question. Leaning unhappily on the other side of the doorframe, it took everything she had not to chase after them from the rooftops. “Ruby said that it was a small village. All things considered, they’ve gone to worse places on their own.”

“That wasn’t what I asked.” Weiss said, blue eyes inclining to reach those of amber. Shared anxiety echoed within them.

“But, that was my answer.” Blake retuned before she went back into the house to retrieve her book.

Weiss followed after a few moments later, closing the door behind her. Ruby and Yang wanted to be alone. This mission of theirs was a personal one, and outsiders had no business even thinking to impose upon it.

Then again, thinking like that was foolish, too.

After all, Ace had been left behind. That could not be overlooked. Ruby had entrusted their newest family member to the care of her teammates. The small Faunus was a mission all of her own. Weiss couldn’t help but feel the weight of that, too. She and Blake had been ordered to stay behind for more than one reason. However, it was a dark fear that had set the stage.

Ruby’s orders were particular, but the implied was horrible. If anything ever went wrong, the task of raising the child would fall directly to them. Slim a chance that it might be, a chance was still a chance, all the same.

“Blake, what do you really think about all of this?” Weiss asked quietly as she gathered Ace in her arms and sat down.

_[Kin.]_ Ace mewed happily in greeting.

“Me?” Blake asked, looking back up over the pages. Ace was happily snuggling down into the warm arms that held her. The human oblivious to the true implications of the happy purring coming from the baby. “I think you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into… None of you do…”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: Like the previous chapter, this content is also entirely new, never seen before. Just enjoy the ride for now, we’ll get back to double updates once it’s time to cover old ground again.
> 
> Original chapter length: 1,392 Revisited chapter length: 3,586
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 10**

The sisters made their way beyond Vale’s gate and into the forested boarders. It started as every other mission ever had, just this time, without the briefing beforehand. A flash of their licenses and they were outside the city gates without even a raised eyebrow. No one would think to question them, but, even if someone had, the excuse was a completely valid one.

Keeping Vale safe was largely a preventative process, many hunters taking it upon themselves to see that things got done in a timely manner.

“Hey, Yang, think we should stop off in Patch while we’re out here?” Ruby asked in an attempt to fill the stifling tranquility with idle conversation. Anything to keep her mind off of where they were going, and why they were going there. The clinking of her equipment served as a dark reminder, one that she just didn’t want. “Maybe if he’s home, we could give dad a visit and tell him what’s been going on.”

“Nah, he probably isn’t even home yet.” Yang hoped that was the case. That he was still out, far away from all of this unpleasantness. “How’d we even get there now, anyway? The airbus is all the way back in Vale.”

Ruby hesitated, knowing that no boats would come for them. They’d see the destruction from the water, and a smart sailor would know not to even get close to the shore’s edge. At least, not any of the boats they were so used to taking. There was one other option, though. Something she used so rarely, even she normally forgot about it.

“Well, I was thinking of following the coast to the hunter’s tavern. Boats should still dock there, I think. They’d take us to Patch for sure.”

“The tavern? That old thing’s still standing?” Yang laughed softly. “Hell, wish I would have known that before carrying Weiss halfway through Vale on foot. We could have stopped in for bath.”

“Was it that bad?”

“Ruby, we were covered in all sorts of stuff.” Yang deadpanned. “We totally reeked.”

Even though the small-talk filled the empty air, it did nothing to distract Yang from her impending destination. They were making good time, and that was a double edged sword. A few hours away from Vale’s main gates, it shouldn’t have taken long to reach the small village that had become a gravesite. Knowing that made her steps just a little slower and her stride hesitant.

The sun was low in the sky, dew still clung to the grass and moistened the dirt paths. Birds were awake and singing their tunes, and in spite of all of it, the pace the sisters adopted was a slow one. Ruby seeming to agree that they needed to slow their pace.

They meandered along the paths, one foot in front of the other.

“Soo… the tavern.” Yang said, clearing her throat.

“Right… It’s still running. I mean, it was last I looked…” Ruby said after a moment. “It used to always be full of people, so I can’t imagine that it would ever be attacked.” She shrugged, ignoring the crunching foliage underfoot as they turned onto another dirt path. “Last time I visited was about a half-a-year ago now...”

“Ah, yeah, that supply mission.” Yang recalled it. “You took Blake on that one, right?”

“Had too.” Ruby said. “I couldn’t pull the cart all by myself. She complained about it the whole way there, too.”

“Ozpin didn’t give you a mule?”

“Nope.” Ruby told her, popping the word between her lips. “The yearly caravan to Vacuo was coming in to trade custom supplies. Everyone on that mission had _all _the mission animals, even the bloodhounds were taken. Blake and I had to pull the cart ourselves.”

“The things you do for charity…”

“I know, right?” It was a soft laugh, but, it was completely forced.

Yang chose not to comment on it. Her own spirits weren’t particularly high, either, and it was finally time to address all of the little things neither sister wanted to say.

They knew these dirt roads by heart.

So many memories, plenty of juvenile training missions. There wasn’t a piece of this section of forest that went unexplored by many particularly adventuresome youths. The Grimm here were old, thus more docile. Almost all of them went into hiding, staying well out of sight. It wasn’t that they couldn’t attack the settlements, but that they’d never before had the urge to do so.

In fact, for the longest time the sisters had been oblivious that there might be Grimm nearby at all.

Then again, they’d grown up alongside a plethora of Grimm in Patch. They weren’t particularly rare. The wandering creatures were usually in search of a good meal or shelter. Their father had done his best to slay all of them in the vicinity, but still, more would come on occasion. It was only as they got older that they learned the value of elder Grimm.

The oldest of the beasts were not as senseless and bloodthirsty as one might think. No, the old ones were usually passive, at least when left unprovoked to their hunting grounds. Oobleck went to great pains to impart his wisdom to his students, and they had never forgotten his lessons.

Ruby saw a large Nevermore making a nest, recalling his tutelage.

The creature was one of the largest she had ever seen, its beady red eyes gazing at her. A younger Grimm would have been impulsive, ready to attack at a moment’s notice. This one just watched her, it had likely nested here for years. As the sisters bypassed the enormous creature, it couldn’t help but take notice. Cawing idly in their direction.

Yet, in spite of that, it didn’t move.

“Hey, Ruby…” Yang started, her voice tense and uneasy. “You’re sure that it wasn’t Grimm that destroyed the village?”

“I wasn’t there when it happened, but, there are no tracks or anything.” Ruby said slowly. Her gut told her that it wasn’t a Grimm. Her training reinforced that thought. It had to have been something else. What exactly? She didn’t want to know. “At least, there weren’t any tracks last time I was there. It’s been a while now, and Grimm have probably passed by since then.”

“Raiders?” Yang posed. “Thieves?”

“Maybe…”

“You don’t sound so sure.”

“I’m not.” Ruby told her. “It just doesn’t feel right. If it was something like that, it would have to be a lot of them…” Ruby trailed off, glancing towards Yang sadly. She wished she had something more reassuring to say. Nothing came to mind. “Those sorts of people don’t normally have the numbers to take on an entire village. Even if they did, they don’t usually go for an attack like that…”

“But, they could have…” Yang muttered between her teeth. “Right?”

“It’s a long shot.” Ruby took a breath. “It’s just not that kind of attack. Buildings were burned. People were dead in the streets. Women and children, too. That counts out trafficking, which is one of the only reasons raiders would go after a village that size.”

“We’ll deal with all that when we get there…”

Of course they would. Ruby would make that her utmost priority. It’s the only reason she wanted to go back. Her pride as a huntress demanded it. She knew that wasn’t why Yang wanted to come, and it hurt to think that Yang wouldn’t get the answers she wanted to receive. “Sis, we’re probably never going to know what happened that night…”

“If that turns out to be the case, I’ll be fine.” Yang promised softly. “We’re going to give everyone a proper burial, seal up the doors on the homes, whole nine yards. That’ll be our main focus.”

“I know…” Ruby agreed.

The promise itself didn’t seem like enough. Even with the tools to do so strapped across their backs, it felt hollow.

Then again, on journeys like these, nothing felt completely whole.

* * *

There was no way for Yang to brace herself. Ruby knew there was no point in trying to prepare her sister, either. Even if Yang knew what was coming, it never got any easier.

Trying to describe the souls that were lost would be a complete disservice, and Ruby refused to try. Instead, she said nothing, adjusting the backpack on her shoulders.

As students, they’d gone through months of training. Stepping into more than one wreckage, seeing what might be thought of as hell itself. As full-fledged huntresses they’d been tasked with more than one mission as a cleaning crew. Even after all of that, neither one of them thought themselves immune to the tangible realities of a fallen village.

For Yang, all of the mental preparation seemed moot the moment that she smelled the faint hints of decay in the air. No amount of lying to herself would change what that scent was from. The moment she saw the first shards of broken glass on the ground. A few more steps was all it took for the magnitude of it all to set in. The person lying face down in a pool of dried blood was a nameless casualty.

Him, and many others, were left behind to be forgotten.

All of the training in the world couldn’t have given Yang the edge she needed. Then again, sights like these weren’t the sort of thing a person should get used to. Stagnancy itself was harsh, filled with putrid odors, and sights that were little more than gore.

There were bodies to tend to, homes to search and then close up. Plenty of work to be done. Tasks that would never see completion if she just continued to stand there and gawk.

Forcing it from her mind as she pulled out her facemask and got to work dragging the bodies to the village square one by one. She searched the homes, but, there were no other survivors. Meanwhile, Ruby began to chop wood into planks and tinder. They both worked quietly, as though making too much noise might unsettle whatever tormented souls remained.

As per the usual instructions, they’d need to put a board across each doorframe indicating that inside only belongings remained. That was likely for the best. A survivor left out here for so long would have suffered horribly. Yang chose not to think about it. A large hole was dug, the bodies placed within and set to flame to be cremated. The billowing smoke would burn all afternoon and late into the night.

As an afterthought, they stopped at the infirmary and broke open the file cabinets. Both of them searching for any health records Ace might have. The slender folder they located was only two pages in length. It seemed like so little, but, it was a start.

They saved the most important home for last.

It was the home that Ruby had found Raven. A dried pool of blood lingered where someone’s body had once been, standing the wood and nearby rug.

“Signs of a struggle.” Yang murmured under her breath. “Everything how you remember it?”

“Yeah…” Ruby breathed.

“Walk me through it…” Yang told her. ”I want to know everything from the ground up.”

“I came in from the kitchen entry looking for survivors, just like we just entered. I found the upturned table and bloody scuff marks on the wall, and followed it. Trail cuts off here…” Ruby said, pointing to the dried pool in question. “A grown man was laying here in a pool of his own blood. No signs of life.”

“Armed?”

“No, and from the pictures over there on the mantel, I can only assume that he was Ace’s dad. He was injured pretty badly before he died, but, it wasn’t a sword that did it. It was blunt force.”

“So, he had a shattered aura?” Yang asked.

“Probably, there was no cauterization around the wounds…”

“There’s more blood over there.” Yang said, nodding to the flight of stairs.

“Raven’s.” Ruby told her quietly. “Least, I think so. I found her upstairs, but she had already bled out too. I don’t know for how long. So, when I found the baby unharmed, I figured, you know…” Ruby sighed at length. “So, I buried Raven and the man out front…and you know the rest.”

"Yeah... Okay." Yang breathed.

"I'm sorry, Yang." Ruby told her, voice hard and scratchy.

"Don't be." Yang told her, her own voice no better. "You didn't do this, it's not your fault."

"Still..." Ruby said quietly.

The house could hardly be called a home. There wasn’t much to it. Yang didn’t know what might have belonged to her mother on the rows of shelves. Books ranging from cooking to combat stuffed the nooks and crannies of the home. Thick tomes stacked on end tables, old maps sitting on a corner desk to be stored. A workbench abused by time had been left in the basement, a place to maintain her weapon, no doubt.

Yang felt guilty for every step she took.

It felt wrong to snoop, even though no one was there to scold her for it. She ran her fingers along the spines of the books, but there was nothing personal among them. Everything felt so generic, and so few photographs promised that whoever else had lived in this home would forever be a mystery.

The most curious thing, however, was what lay in the yard. Yang expected the grave site. Ruby told her that she’d done it. It was what lay among the mound of dirt that felt so confusing. A half empty bottle of scotch, and an empty glass that had tipped over in the dirt.

“You didn’t put this here, did you?” Yang asked question.

Ruby, keeping her distance, only shook her head. “No.”

“You should finish what you started.” Yang muttered thickly, holding out the hammer. There was only one thing left to do here, and Yang couldn’t find the strength in her to do it herself.

“You sure you don’t want anything?” Ruby asked, almost hesitant to place up that final board.

“I…” The elder sibling could only shrug. “It’s not like I know any of the meaning behind any if it…”

“Looters won’t either.” Ruby said, rushing off, only to come back with the only family photo in the entire home. “At least take this. It won’t be missed…”

“Fine, just finish this Ruby, please.” Yang sighed softly, feeling the weight of the hammer slide from her palm as Ruby took it from her. The picture replaced it. Somehow, it felt much heavier.

“Alright…”

The sound reach her ears, nails landing swiftly, digging deep into the wood. Yang couldn’t look at the plank being affixed to the front door.

She felt numb, her soul like pins and needles.

It finally hurt…

* * *

They stayed the night huddled around a small campfire. The sisters had exhausted things to say, words of comfort were hard to come by. Nothing could change the way that Yang buried whatever she was feeling.

Ruby felt like a child all over again, watching as Yang clenched her jaw, biting back soundless tears. It used to scare her, but now, she just felt helpless. It never got easier as the years went on. Ruby just couldn’t watch Yang truly cry over anything. It happened so rarely, Ruby doubted many knew that Yang was even capable of tears.

Out of sight, out of mind, it was the easiest way to deal with the concept of death.

Summer’s death, and the loss she represented had never fully healed. When she passed away, the family was no longer whole. The emotional scabs still hurt. They had a way of bleeding when Ruby least expected them to. Some days were easier than others, but the occasional memory could slice through whatever wall Ruby had carefully built up.

Shedding a few tears came natural at this point. There had been a time, not long ago, that Ruby had been different.

Somehow, in her teens, Ruby had convinced herself that she was too old cry like a child anymore. That silencing herself was the adult’s way to handle things. For a small handful of years, she even believed it. That pretending everything was alright was the right way. That grief itself came at the bottom of a bottle, and a long list of regrets too numerous to name.

It was only as an adult that Ruby learned the truth. That denying grief, and medicating it with liquor caused damage too. More so, than crying like a child possibly could.

What Yang was doing wasn’t healing…

It was just hurting, with no hope for catharsis, only denial.

“Move over.” Ruby said, when it became to be too much to bear.

“Hmm?”

“See, you’re doing that thing where you’re pretending not to cry again…” Ruby said in way of an explanation as she nudged her way into her sister’s sleeping bag. “You’ve always kind of sucked at doing that, and I kind of wish you didn’t.” She didn’t know if honesty was too cruel or not. Yet, she didn’t want to lie.

There had been too many of those throughout the years, so many of them hurtful.

Worming her way into her sister’s sleeping bag and wrapping her arms around her seemed like the only solution. At least, if nothing else, Yang would have a shoulder to cry on.

“What are you doing, Ruby?” Yang asked with a voice that could hardly be called steady. Feeling warm lips pressing atop her forehead.

“Just doing for you what you did for me…” It wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t ever be. Ruby knew that.

“You don't have to worry about me, Ruby. I’m not a little kid like you were.”

“It doesn’t make it any easier, Yang.” Ruby doubted it ever would.

* * *

The sisters came home the next day before noon. They said nothing as they got cleaned off and tossed their mission clothes in the washer. They put away their tools and unused equipment with small one word questions and answers. Empty small talk became a thick smokescreen.

Weiss and Blake quickly noticed.

“I can’t shake the feeling like I screwed up somehow.” Yang said after finally finding the words that had gotten stuck in her throat hours after returning home. “It’s like, I left something important behind. I just don’t know what…”

“Probably too many things to name, I’d bet. You just came back from burying a whole village. I don’t think you could have gone through all of that unscathed…” Blake told her, placing her book aside as she looked over to her roommate. “Whatever you think left behind, it probably belongs there to stay.”

“Maybe…”

The way Yang just laid there, staring up at the ceiling was unsettling.

“Just let it go, Yang.” Blake told her, hearing an annoyed huff out of the blonde for her trouble. “I'm not trying to be insensitive, but, you don’t even know her. At this point, you never will. There’s no point to get stuck in your own head like this.” Blake felt her ears tilt back, she couldn’t do anything to stop it even if she wanted to. “She’s not worth it, Yang…”

“My whole life…” Yang said, sitting up and gazing at Blake, her eyes turning crimson. “My whole damn life, I’ve been trying to form some sort of bond with her, and you tell me she’s not worth it?”

“She never was…”

“Yeah, if only it were that easy.”

“I’m not saying that it’s easy.” Blake told her. “I’m saying that you deserve better than feeling like this. She owes you a lifetime of questions, and she refused to let you have any of them. You don’t owe her anything, Yang, do you understand me?”

“She was still my mom.”

“Oh, bullshit.” Blake shook her head, standing up and crossing the room. “That’s bullshit, Yang. Look at me.” She said, keeling down in front of the blond. “I need you to understand something. Your mom died years ago when you were just a child. Raven wasn’t your mother. She was never even close to that. In my eyes, she was a willing egg donor at best, and an abuser at worst.”

“You don’t know that.”

“She didn’t give a damn enough to prove me wrong, either.” Blake shot back. “Raven abused the hell out of you. It was just in her actions, not her fist…”

“We don’t know what happened, not really.”

“That doesn’t matter.” Blake growled quietly, teeth bared. “The damage is done either way.” A hard breath and a curse later, the woman kneeling one floor deflated entirely. “You suffered needlessly because of her actions, and she knew it…” She couldn’t bring herself to even look Yang in the eyes. Her own, starring daggers into the floor. “That’s what abuse is. She could have ended that cycle at any time, but she refused to do that…”

Yang said nothing, and it was at that moment Blake knew letting the sisters go alone had been a mistake.

There was nothing she could do. Yang would have to come to terms with everything on her own.

She licked her lips and pushed herself up from the floor. “To diminish what she did to you would be unforgiveable too. You’re worth more than this. You, Ruby, even Ace. You’re all worth more than the way you feel right now. Learn to let this go, Yang. For your own good…”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: Like previous chapters, this content is mostly new.
> 
> Original chapter length: 2,076 Revisited chapter length: 2,964
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 11**

They had agreed as a team to figure things out, but, that was proving difficult. Each new day presented a new string of challenges. The baby in their care was one small concern of many. Life needed to go on, and the job of a huntress had never been perfect to start with. They had plenty of other problems that needed taking care of. The ailments of life waited for no-one, and neither did the uptick of expenses and mission calls.

Ace was cute, but, she was also a handful.

“I think we should buy a proper crib.” Weiss announced tapping the tip of a black ink pen against a pad of paper.

The four women sat around the table discussing expenditures. It happened once at the end of every month, but this conversation proved to be especially difficult. With a fifth mouth to feed and look after, money was getting tighter. Larger purchases would need to be handled with care, and there was a short list of them already.

“We already have a crib.” Ruby told her. “We don’t need another one.”

“We have one made for camping in a tent.” Weiss told her, flicking her expression to the flimsy object siting in the living room. “It’s by no means sturdy or meant to last as a long term solution. I can’t imagine it’ll do her any good as she gets older, either. I get the impression that she doesn’t like it.”

“What? Weiss, no way.” Ruby protested, her glass of milk half-finished as her fist in the table. “We only get one big purchase a month, and you promised we could fix that stupid floor in our bedroom.”

“Plans change.” Weiss said with a soft shrug.

Ruby glared, cursing under her breath as she lifted the glass to her lips once more. “I’m tired of listening to the squeaking floor every time you decide to walk in circles.” It was only after she emptied the rest of her drink that she sighed. “It’s annoying, and I don't want to put up with it if I don't have to.”

“That’s true, and we did agree to fix the floor before Ace came along.” Blake agreed, holding the little culprit that saw fit to keep them up at night. She sucked away on her bottle, completely oblivious to the discussion going on around her. “It’s only gotten worse now that we have her with us. We could do with replacing a few of the boards in the hallway, too. We’d all probably sleep better at night if we couldn’t hear whoever happens to be walking the house with her.”

“You mean that _you_ would sleep better at night.” Yang said pointedly as she got up to rummage around in the fridge. “I don’t hear anything as long as the door’s closed.”

“See, this is why I only do circles of the kitchen, and living room.” Ruby pointed out, giving Weiss a withering look. “Those bits of floor _don’t_ squeak.”

The fizzling of a newly opened beer bottle and the sound of the cap crashing onto the table called the room to order. Yang took a long swig before coming back to sit down with the rest of them. “So, guys, this is the last time I’m saying this.” Yang said slowly. “We need a new roof.”

“I keep telling you, we can’t afford a roof.” Weiss told her.

“Then we’ve got to save for it.” Yang told her. “We can’t keep putting it off anymore.”

“Uncle Qrow promised we could get a few more years out of it.” Ruby shot back. “But I won’t last a few months without new floor in the bedroom.”

“Uncle Qrow said that two years ago…” Yang said. “You’re going to be singing a different tune when the roof caves in on us.”

“Yeah, but I have a hunch that the floor planks may be rotting out from underneath…” Ruby said.

“Considering all of the water damage we had to fix last year, I don’t doubt it.” Weiss said under her breath.

“Then we’ll patch that up too when someone falls through it.” Yang said, refusing to budge on the matter. “We can avoid bad floorboards, we knew they weren’t the best when we moved in. The roof is total crap, and that’s not a repair job we can afford unless we save for it.”

“Can’t you give it a quick fix one more time, Yang?” Blake asked.

“If could do it, I would have.” The blonde said. “I can’t keep patching it. We’re going to have to get it professionally re-done.”

“Cribs are on sale right now, which is why I think we should make that purchase while we can.” Weiss replied, placing the advertisement in front of everyone to see. “Besides, repairs may end up being more costly than we can comfortably afford right now. A crib easily fits into the budget. The rest of it we can save for next time…”

“We have no room for a crib, Weiss…” Ruby bit out. “Where would we stick it?”

“On Yang’s apparently broken roof.” Blake said sarcastically. “As useless as it would be, there’s no point to getting one… Ace probably wouldn’t sleep in it anyway. She’d probably hate it just as much as the fold-one we already have.”

“We can’t keep putting her in bed with us…” Weiss shot back.

“Why not? That’s what cat Faunus do.” Blake asked. “Little cat Faunus don’t sleep alone. They’re with their parents or siblings until they’re old enough to run away from danger on their own. Even then, good luck getting her to stay in her own bed.”

“What danger, Blake?” Weiss asked, throwing the resident cat Faunus an exasperated glare. “Why would she need to run away from anything in this house?”

The Faunus only shook her head. “It’s just an instinct, Weiss. Why do you think she hates being put down? The safest place is always going to be with family. If you take that away from her, she’s going to make racket until you come back and get her. She’ll last maybe an hour a night in a crib, if you’re lucky.”

“I do hope you’re joking…” Weiss protested, but amber eyes lingered on her longer than she would have liked. a dry expression lingering there. "She can't keep sleeping in our beds with us."

“That’s just the way she is. Cat Faunus never to let their babies out of their sight. In our minds, dependency comes with mobility. Until she can come to us, someone’s always going to be with her. If she’s alone for too long, she’ll think somethings really wrong. That’s just how Faunus are.”

Weiss let a long suffering sigh fall from her lips as she put her face in her hands. The news hadn’t been what she was hoping for, and with a long intake of air she looked to her teammates with tired eyes. She crossed the crib off the list, the point of her pen tapping against the pad of paper. She ran some number in her head, jotting them down and scowling at the answer.

"It can't ever be easy, can it? Fine then, here’s what we’ll do.” She said, turning the notepad around for the others to see. “We will fix the floorboards in the bedroom only, and put the rest of the funds into savings. Then, next month we’ll do the floors in the hall, and call around for an estimate on the roof. Then we’ll start saving for it, and get that done before it begins snowing. Is everyone alright with that?”

A round of agreeance from the rest of the members at the table couldn’t have come fast enough…

“Good then.” Weiss said. “Next item on the agenda, this month’s mission details…”

Ruby visibly winced. “Yeah, about that, we have something else we need to do first…”

* * *

Missions were their bread and butter, but no one could hunt without being in good health. They certainly didn’t want to bring anything home, either, least harm come to Ace.

With the thin medical folder in hand, and plenty of questions about Ace, a doctor’s visit was quickly in order. There was no telling the sorts of things they might expose her to. It was a concern that was best addressed sooner rather than later. She was too young to have proficient use of her aura, unlocking it would be pointless. Any passive protection it may offer was not going to be enough to keep her from getting sick.

For that, she needed to have a healthy immune system.

Weiss paced the house with a very upset baby in her arms. It was inconceivable that Ace could be so inconsolable, but, here she was, screeching her little lungs out. Weiss only bit her lip, smoothing over the small square of gauze that covered her arm. Ace flailed unhappily, ears folded downward instinctively as she continued to fuss. It was the first of countless inoculations the little girl would receive if she wished to stay in the heart of Vale. The cities were often teaming with sickness that the smaller villages never had exposure to. As huntresses, they were also possible carriers of disease. Medical intervention was the only way to keep Ace safe from exposure to the countless ails than ran rampant across the kingdoms.

The pediatrician they’d chosen was an old family friend. A woman who had treated both Yang and Ruby before their training began at Signal. The elderly old woman had warned them that babies tended to run low fevers and become rather fussy after receiving a shot, but Weiss had underestimated the severity of that claim.

She had brushed the warning off. She assumed it was the rudimentary disclaimer handed down from doctor to patient. She had certainly been hospitalized enough to have listened to plenty standard warnings in the past, same as her teammates. Side effects were usually mild to moderate, if any occurred at all.

But, with Ace so upset, Weiss couldn’t help but feel a pang of concern.

This was unlike the small cat Faunus who was usually fairly easy to entertain. Ace was usually happy to just be held. Overjoyed to be given even the slightest attention. A scratch behind her ears made her day. Now, nothing seemed to make her happy.

“Here, I’ve got a bottle ready.” Yang said, coming down the hallway.

“I highly doubt she wants it.” Weiss sighed, adjusting the small child in her arms. The action only made her screech louder in response. Weiss took hold of the offered bottle anyway, seeing the failed endeavor for what it would be as Ace flinched away from it with another unhappy screech. “Alright, alright… Shhhh… See, she doesn’t want it Yang.”

“Where in the hell is Blake?” Yang groused, taking the bottle back and looking to Ace with concern. “It doesn’t take this long to get bread from the corner store.”

“She hasn’t even been gone the long.” Weiss said looking at her watch as best as she could at the awkward angle. “It’s not like we sent Ruby, which, probably would have been the better idea in hindsight.”

“Here, let me try.” Yang said, taking the crying little one from her already exasperated teammate.

“Five lien says you’re both driving yourselves crazy for nothing.” Ruby called from her place, laying halfway across the sofa with a magazine in hand. “I mean, every time Yang gets a shot, her semblance freaks out on her… I’d be willing to bet it’s probably something like that.”

“But we don’t know that for sure, Ruby.” Weiss said.

“And Blake told you not to worry.” The team leader replied, putting down what passed for reading material. “Blake’s been mostly right about stuff so far, you really going to doubt her now?”

“No, you’re right.” Yang bit her lip as she began to take the same redundant path that Weiss had been making moment before. Up and down the long stretch of hallway. “She’s just upset, and shots always make people feel crappy afterward… Everything will be alright…”

What were they, if not a team?

If not a strange slapped together family?

They were a jumble of souls that fate had collided together for karma to laugh it. After all, a pair of half-sister was tragic enough in the Xiao Long household when they were children. A lonely cat Faunus raised among extremists, and an ex-heiress willfully disowned from her family name were just added layers.

Just more irony, another cog in the scheme. Life, getting a good hard laugh at their expense.

And that was fine, there was nothing wrong with their lot in life. They were all happy, more or less. Yet, when four souls became five, and two sisters become three, it was a whole lot harder to laugh back in its face.

It wasn't funny anymore…

But it _was_ reality…

And it _was_ the future.

Figuring stuff out as they went along wasn't always easy, but, trust was the backbone of many things. Blake said that Ace was probably alright, and, Blake hadn’t been wrong yet.

* * *

The next day, Ace was calmer, almost lethargic. The little Faunus yawning from her place in the sling. Then again, Yang couldn’t help but feel the same as she was slow to finish cleaning up the kitchen. She was almost too tired to care when Weiss came back from the store with the weekly baby necessities.

Learning on the fly could only help them so much, and Weiss had taken studying to a new extreme. The white haired woman attempted to gain an almost encyclopedic knowledge of all the parenting books in the house. It was a small stack, nothing compared to the stacks of school books Weiss used to amass. Still, her fortitude was impressive, absorbing the books like sponge.

As a result, it seemed like there was no end to the baby supplies invading their small home.

Every time Yang turned around, there was a new object that had appeared out of nowhere. Plastic grocery bags had become something of a magician’s hat. She never knew what Weiss was going to pull out next. It happened so frequently that the household almost made a twisted game of it. The blonde could only frown as she took a scrub-brush to the new bottles that Weiss had brought home on a whim.

The purchase was probably unnecessary, but like everything else Weiss had gotten, the new formula bottles were here to stay.

“What in the hell was wrong with the old ones?” Yang grumbled, looking over her shoulder as the short woman unpacked the rest of her new discoveries.

“You mean besides the fact that they were the cheapest ones in the store? Weiss deadpanned.

“We were on a budget.” Blake protested from her place at the kitchen table. “And we _still_ are.”

“These are the ones her doctor told us to try. Ace has been having terrible indigestion for weeks, and I’ve figured out that the problem is likely the bottle.” Weiss replied, waving one of the cheap ones that Blake and Ruby had bought in their hurry. “They were good in a pinch, but, we need to consider long-term solutions now.” She tossed it and the three others like it in the trash. “These new bottles are less likely to cause gas, and it’s got an anti-colic nipple. They’re better for her.”

“If you say so…” Yang trailed off, confused. “Just don’t see what the problem was with the other one.”

“You get up at 4 am, feed her yourself, and find out.” Blake said between bites of food, scarfing down half a sandwich before a quick midday mission took up the rest of her time.

“Indeed, I never knew someone so small could produce such projectile spittle.” Weiss agreed dryly, unearthing a new brand of formula. “I’ve also picked up the new formula and few burp cloths."

"I think she’s starting to outgrow her onesies, too." Yang sighed.

"I found these extenders, so that should help with the length a little bit." Weiss shrugged, slapping the small packet onto the counter an crumpling up the plastic back to store it away safely. "It’s better than buying new ones, at any rate.”

“So, is that the formula the doctor recommended?” Blake asked, grabbing the canister and looking it over for herself.

“One of them.” Weiss said. “When Yang and I took Ace in, she gave us something of a list. This one just happened to be the most affordable. If we have to switch again, we’re talking about a huge jump in price.” She sighed then, looking over the grocery bill. “Baby formula isn’t cheap.”

“Baby food isn’t either, not that we have to worry about that for a while.” Yang added. “The doctor said Ace needs to be four to six months old before we worry about that.”

“Hmm, something about that screams human baby to me. I’d bet you anything that it’ll be closer to four than six…” Blake said, shoving the last bite of her meal into her mouth and carrying her plate to the sink. “She’s a cat Faunus like I am. We’re predatory by our nature, and we can be entirely carnivorous by choice. Although, I’m not quite sure why someone would want to do that… I doubt she’ll wait six months before trying to rip things apart.”

“Says the one who just inhaled an entire can of tuna on a single slice of bread…” Weiss deadpanned under her breath. She knew Blake could hear her anyway.

“That’s my point…” Blake shot back. “Alright, I’m off. I have a re-supply mission at the docks in downtown with Ruby. We might be late, don’t wait up...”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: Completely new content in this chapter.  
Original chapter length: 1,374 Revisited chapter length: 2,828  
“Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]
> 
> AYangThang: Next week, we resume double updates as some old content resurfaces.

**Chapter 12**

Blake’s mission took her to downtown Vale. Beyond the pier, and docks alike. She walked far along the waterfront. The area smelled of the sea, the breeze carrying the scent of the changing tides. The area she was headed towards wasn’t glamorous. The homes dotting this side of the coast were even worse off than her own. It was a place below the poverty line. Shops were small, poorly stocked. Graffiti slathered brick and pavement alike. Gang signs and calling cards elaborately painted where eyes would see it most. White Fang propaganda plastered itself everywhere, three white slashes left in the dark corners of the city, an invitation.

Beggars dotted the streets. Some chose to perform, others sat helplessly, waiting for a willing handout. She knew many of the faces as regulars at the nearly food kitchens. Most were Faunus, a few were human. All of them down on their luck.

To many they were seen as filth, frowned upon for clogging up the otherwise prosperous kingdom. The fates of these people were almost guaranteed. Those who couldn’t find honest work would be forced into dishonest trade. If a person couldn’t earn a living wage, they would succumb to the heartbeat of the streets.

Each day, a fight to survive.

Beyond the small shambles of a residential district there was a restricted area. The toll road was guarded, and only allowed those employed by Beacon Academy to pass by unchecked. Nearby commercial buildings kept their storage here, and only a few workers had clearance to pass into the warehouse district.

Groups of hunters gathered along the storage units and the many docks. The chatter waned as documents were passed around, softer murmurs taking the place of what used to be a dull roar. When the stack of papers were handed to her, Blake took the first stapled packet off the top of the stack. Then, she passed them on. The huntress behind her doing the same.

With her list of orders firmly in hand, it was time to get to work.

She’d be stationed in warehouse B. She began packing the supply crates that would need to be sent out immediately. In fairness, checking supplies and packing them up for shipping was an easy mission. Commonplace, and one of the many menial labors expected of those with full-fledged hunting licenses. Some thought themselves above the task. Yet, it proved to be invaluable for all huntsmen and huntresses across Remnant.

Hundreds of taverns, inns, medical outposts, and outlying villages dotted the landscape. They needed those supplies, and the hunters expected them to have adequate stock.

Men and Women in service to the kingdoms often walked the paths on foot. Each stop provided meals, ammunition, and a place to rest. Without such simple pleasures, many wouldn’t likely be inclined to travel very far at all. A single person out in the wilderness alone would go mad, and teams tended to travel light. Restocking a wealth of supplies early and often, a hunter could focus more comfortably upon their missions. Having a place to rest made the difference between a readily acceptable mission, and one that would likely be rejected.

Having made the journey out on the open road several times herself, Blake knew the importance of steadfast supplies. Clean water, hot meals, and plenty of soap. She was careful with her signatures. Each box only received one after she had approved the contents, and its intended location. The cargo bay was filled with working huntsmen and huntresses, packing, approving, and loading the crates onto waiting aircrafts. Piolets were arriving, and caravans began to collect just outside the warehouse, waiting for a huntsman to accompany them.

Beside her, Pyrrha and Nora had their own mission assignment. Nora was to load the aircrafts, and Pyrrha was to secure each crate with functioning parachute. Ruby had been here since this morning, arguing with other documented team leaders about the safest routes to use.

It was just an average low paying day down at the docks.

Blake thought very little of it, focused entirely on her assignment when a cool bottle of water touched her shoulder.

“Hey, when was the last time you took a break?” Ruby asked her. “You look a little dehydrated.”

“I’m not the only one.” Blake said, slicking away the sweat on her brow and guzzling down the water in the bottle. The plastic crinkling under her grip. “It’s hot in here, and you look exhausted.”

“I taking a break now, aren’t I? Though, I am pretty tired.” Ruby admitted leaning heavily on the crate. Ink stained her fingertips, and her face was also moistened with sweat. “Most of my job is done at this point, all of the routes have been plotted. I’ve just got to wait for the escorts to arrive so that they can be briefed. As long as everyone shows up, then I’m free to do go.”

“Lucky.” Blake muttered almost under her breath. “I have about ten more of these to finish, then I think I’m moving stations.”

“No, you aren’t.”

“I’m not?”

“Don’t let any of the team leaders move you. I’ve already made my orders on that clear.” Ruby explained, taking the clipboard from Blake and glancing over the rest of her assigned tasks. “If you run out of work to do, help the teams loading up the ship.”

“Warehouses C and D are falling behind. Warehouse E is already going to be delayed a day.” Blake said. “I was supposed to go help the other warehouses get up to speed.”

“That’s not my problem.” She said, handing the clipboard back after jotting down a note in red ink. “I need you here with me in case one of the teams don’t show. We’ve got a lot of first timers signed up, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of them are no-shows.”

“You really think that’ll happen?” Blake asked, reading the words ‘no transfer’ on Blake’s mission papers.

“Nope…” Her knuckles knocked the side of the crate before shrugging and looking away. Her eyes drifting to the other hunters milling about. “Then again, I can’t be too sure, either. There’s a few forth year Beacon teams on this list. Wouldn’t be the first time a few teams flunked out.”

“Isn’t that the truth…” Blake muttered. “Either way, it’s going to be a late night.”

“Yep.” Ruby sighed, popping the word between her lips. “That’s what happens when people fall behind. Most of the other leaders are in agreement. We get all the shipments out in Warehouses A and B tonight, and pick up the slack of everyone else tomorrow. I’m going to go help the others that are falling behind.” As Ruby began to head off, she turned around, calling over her shoulder. “Meet me by the meal truck when it gets here, we can grab some dinner together.”

It was as simple a promise as any, but Blake felt the smile tug at her lips all the same.

* * *

As promised they both met up for dinner at the meal truck. The few hours that had passed seemed short compared to the hours they knew waited ahead of them.

“Loading crew is about five hours behind.” Blake observed while sitting at an old picnic table, a bottle of water in hand.

“Yeah, I know.” Ruby said distractedly. “Nothing we can do about that. Refueling and maintenance takes about that long on the larger aircrafts anyway.”

Blake glanced over to Ruby, seeing her nose buried in mission documents. It wasn’t an uncommon sight. Ruby took her work as a huntress very seriously. Her profession was one of the few things she had ever been so passionate about. Unfortunately that same passion didn’t come to her as easily when faced with the mounds of paperwork that demanded her attention. Being the assigned leader in a team a four meant that she needed to sign off on every project that any of her teammates ever accepted. There was no end to the steady stream of approvals and referrals that changed hands weekly.

The Faunus couldn’t help but watch the way the pen slid across the paper. Chin resting in her palm and fork poking absently at her salad. “So much for taking a break, huh…”

“This is about as much of a break as I’m going to get today.” Ruby said, taking a bite of her sandwich and sloppily filling out an approval form for Yang’s newest mission request. Her handwriting had never been as elegant as she would have liked. “I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, there’s something to be said for the way Atlas runs things.”

“Don’t say that to Ozpin, he’ll have you cleaning out filing cabinets for months.”

“Maybe someone should…” Ruby trailed off. “This nightmare is just from today.”

“Is all that Yang’s?”

“No, actually.” Ruby told her. “Most of it is yours.”

Feeling more than a little guilty, two black ears wilted at the thought of putting Ruby though so much trouble. “Sorry…” Blake murmured, stabbing at her lettuce and cursing herself for accepting the sort of work that she did. Charity meant documenting everything. Every last penny spent by the government needed to be accounted for.

“Don’t be.”

“If I didn’t take so many charity cases, you wouldn’t be saddled with all those extra forms.” Blake told her, looking down at Ruby’s mostly untouched meal. Her sandwich was half gone, but the small soup bowl and salad plate had gone on untouched. “Put those away for a bit. You’re entitled to breaks too. If you don’t get to all of those requests today, you can get to them tomorrow.”

“I wish I could, but I can't. I need to get these finished and sent to Ozpin today. If I don’t Weiss and Yang won’t hit the mission rosters until next week. We can't afford to bench either one of them for that long.”

“So, do theirs and ignore yours and mine.”

Ruby just rolled her eyes, taking another bite of her sandwich and continuing to jot down information in the blank spaces. “I’m finishing this stack today while I can.” She glanced up at Blake, meeting those concerned amber eyes with clear intent. “It’s my job to do this right.”

“That stack looks thicker than usual.” Blake said, her protein drink halfway to her lips as her free hand thumbed through the papers.

“There’s no team missions this week. It’s all solo sign-ups.” Ruby told her. “Plus, Yang’s taking a few more missions than usual to compensate for Ace. Weiss is doing the same to get some extra cash into the account. I think Yang’s right. That roof is going to be costly.”

“I wish you would have told me, I would have taken a few more day jobs off the board.”

“That’s why I didn’t ask you to.” Ruby said, closing Yang’s packet and sealing it in an envelope. “My recertification is this week. If our team wants to stay on the rosters for field work, I’ve got to go.” She finished the last bite of her sandwich, pulling the plastic lid off of the soup bowl. “You’re going to need to stay with Ace. You couldn’t have taken more work even if you wanted to.”

“Guess that’s what I get for pulling in the least amount of money on any given week.” Blake said softly, a note of humor in her voice. “Regulated to babysitter, just great…”

* * *

It was well after midnight when two tired huntresses stumbled into the house. Wordlessly, they kicked off their shoes and parted ways to find their separate beds. Loathe though she was to admit her own exhaustion, a shower would wait until the morning. Blake crept into her room soundlessly. Shucking off her clothes with little more than the rustling of fabric to disturb the woman snoring away in the other bed.

Yang was known to be a heavy sleeper, but Ace had the keen hearing of her heritage. Blake knew, even one wrong step could wake the slumbering child. Sinking into her bed without a peep, she closed her eyes. A long exhale slipped from her lips as she buried her face into her pillow. The haze of sleep began to claim her. The feather pillow and soft sheets were heaven.

The peaceful late night hours never lasted for very long.

[Kin…] A soft mew called out at the late night hour, disturbing the relative tranquility that the dead of night brought along with it. No one answered the tiny Faunus, left to her lonesome within the dark room.

[Kin…] She mewed again, looking for her reply. Her little nose twitched when she took a sniff. She wasn’t entirely alone. They were around somewhere. Her sensitive hearing could pick up the soft sounds of breath, the rustle of blankets. Signs of life, but, no sign of warmth.

[Kin…] Maybe they didn’t hear her. She let out another small, curious mew.

[Kin.] And another... [Kin.] And another… [Kin.] And another…

[Kin?] A change in pitch. Where were they?

[Kin?] Confusion. Why weren’t they coming to greet her?

[Kin?!] Fear. Again, there came no reply.

A baby’s cry rang out into the darkness when her calls went unanswered. An agitated groan reaching her small ears as she heard signs of someone moving around off to the side.

[Shut up.] Blake growled sleepily.

Wet crimson eyes looked up to the hand flailing around above the bassinette, finding the pacifier and sticking it back into her mouth. Ace growled around the awful pacifier. That wasn’t what she wanted, not at all. She spat it out unhappily. She looked at it, offering a nearly silent hiss of air at the offending object detailing her displeasure.

No, she didn’t want that, she wanted to be held.

[Kin?] Another mew.

[No.] And another annoyed growl.

[Kin.] Ace persisted.

[Hush.] Blake was steadfast.

[I’m scared.] A plaintive yowl.

A long suffering sigh, and Blake forced herself to lift her head from her pillow. “Damn it… Yang, wake up.”

“Hmm?”

“Come get your sister out of this stupid basket before I brain you.”

“Mmm.” Yang mumbled, rolling over to slip back into dreamland.

“Oh, no you don’t…” Blake snarled as Ace yowled again. Grabbing the first book she found on her nightstand, the elder Faunus set it flying it at the sleeping blonde.

“Ah!” She cried out as the book hit its mark. The corner of the thick tome digging into her scalp. “What the hell was that for?”

“Wake up.” Blake shot back. “Ace is awake. I told you not to stick her in bassinette. You did it, now you pace the house with her…” It was only after Yang tripped on a pile of her own clothes and hit the floor face-first that Blake came to a crude, sleep-deprived conclusion…

Humans were idiots…

It was only several hours, a long nap, a relaxing shower, and hot coffee later that Blake was better able to ponder the wayward thought. They weren’t idiots, far from it. They simply didn’t understand. Ace was a mystery to them, and there was no way to teach them to communicate with her. It wasn’t that they were trying to be cruel, but their perceptions deceived them.

A soft mew could mean a wide range of things, the subtle inflection and body language could carry a great deal of weight when joined together when joined together with scent. It was like a sentence structure, strung together expertly. Without all of the cues at their disposal, they wouldn’t know the subtle difference between her moods.

Maybe she needed to talk to them, and set the record straight.

She just didn’t know how…

Then again, she doubted talking itself would help at all. It probably wouldn't.

It didn’t matter if she told them to pay attention. They wouldn’t even know what to pay attention to. They weren’t built to think like a Faunus, or to act like one. Human nature and Faunus nature were two completely separate things. Nose blind, and partially deaf, humans lacked too many finer details.

This was, perhaps, the greatest divide between the humans and Faunus. The reason they were thought to be animals in the first place. Faunus were seen as _other_, as _different_, and that’s just the way it was. They were human enough to live among them, but animal enough to never truly be understood.

Time would have a way of sorting many thing out. The divide would lessen as the years went by.

The language barrier would lessen considerably as Ace learned to speak human words. She’d likely make human friends, so long as she learned to behave like a human among them. So long as she endeavored to conform, there would be acceptance and tolerance among the human race. There was only one problem.

That was a Faunus plight, and Blake was the only one within the household who knew how to navigate that.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all sorry I've been slacking on posting. I've been busy with work. You're getting a big dose of content tonight, so sit tight while the chapters flow in. My posting will be patchy for a little while longer while I continue to sort things out with work.
> 
> Significant Changes: This is the “time skip” chapter that used to be chapter 8. There are some content additions to the old scenes. There is also one added scene between Pyrrha and Weiss.
> 
> Original chapter length: 3,146 Revisited chapter length: 3,913
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 13**

A few weeks passed in relative normalcy.

Then a few months, seemingly in the blink of an eye.

Ace got older.

They got wiser.

Things became easier.

Missions slowly filled their schedules promising a constant trickle of income. It wasn’t much, but they were thankful. The world within the RWBY household became more hectic as Ace learned to crawl into all manner of trouble. The inquisitive little girl was always in search of adventure. Her bright crimson eyes studying everything curiously. Each dusty bunny and crinkled paper ball was of particular interest to the little girl.

As huntresses they didn’t want to admit it, but, every idle failing stung at their pride. Watching Ace gain that small level of independence was intimidating. With every ounce of agency she gained, so did their daily worries. They discovered that every loose chord, piece of cutlery, cleaning solution, and item of equipment was a nightmare waiting to happen.

They took precautions. Locking their mission gear away behind reinforced steel boxes and storing their dust carefully so that it wouldn’t be disturbed. Their jobs would never be completely safe, but the household had to be.

Bumps and bruises became inevitable as Ace learned to walk, and then to run. Her small feet carrying her clumsily through the house with reckless abandon. The young Faunus often went skidding into walls and darting under furniture. In a paranoid effort to keep the little girl safe from harm Yang had even tapped the corners of the tables with bubble wrap. She had been hoping the feeble attempt would shield Ace from another bump on the head next time she crawled beneath it.

Yang’s efforts didn’t last a day before little claws sunk themselves deep into the bubble wrap, providing plenty of fun as Ace destroyed it. Shredding the plastic with glee, and leaving another mess behind. Her tiny teeth and claws were the hallmarks of all cat Faunus. Sharp and pointy. Her ears grew fur wildly, making her striking features even more impressive and animalistic by nature.

Blake took care to clip those sharp claws short, and to trim the fur around those sensitive Faunus ears with practiced ease. They were skills all feline Faunus would come to accept as part of normal hygiene and grooming habits. Keeping a tidy appearance went a long way in life, and that went double for those who didn’t appear entirely human. The more tame Ace looked to humans, the less she would be ostracized because of her heritage.

When it came to baby proofing a dilapidated and dated household, the humans were set to the task. Truthfully, it was a much more complicated endeavor than any of them had first assumed. When even the tiniest wrapper was a choking hazard, Weiss was even more inclined to keep the house cleaner than usual.

The reason for this was simple, and proven true yet again as little feet went scampering through the house. Thumping across the slippery wooden floor as Ace tried to reach her favorite hiding place. A wet trail was left behind as she retreated from the bathroom. Well away from one very agitated caretaker, the woman sighing as she squeezed water out of her shirt.

"Don't just stand there, grab her!" Weiss ordered when she noticed that Yang was in the hallway.

The blonde didn't need to be told twice as she scooped up her baby sister, holding her high in the air. "Intercepted." She shouted in victory, only to have water flung all over the place. The small Faunus shook her head from side to side, her wild mane of hair swinging back and forth. Little ears flicking away the drops of water that had collected in her fur. Ace growled playfully, her black tresses sticking up in all directions.

"Damn it…" Yang sighed, giving her diminutive little sister a harsh look. "Ace, really?"

"She's not a ball, Yang." Weiss sighed, wrapping the small Faunus in a fluffy grey towel. "Did you hate baths this much when you were her age?"

"No, just the brush." Yang said, cringing at all of the knots that had crumpled themselves into unruly black hair. "Oh, man, this is bad. I really hate to say this, but maybe Ruby's right. Maybe we should cut her hair short?"

"Who would trim it?" Weiss scoffed, plucking at one particularly bad knot. "She's not going to let us near her with a pair of scissors. Even if she did, I wouldn't even know where to begin."

“She’s going to fight us no matter what we do at this point…”

"That's why I was trying to do it while she was actually in the bath." Weiss replied, knowing a thing or two about particularly unkempt hair. Missions having trained her well in gratuitous haircare. "I assumed if I doused the knots in conditioner I might stand a chance." She reached around to get a better look at the tangles. “You can see how well that worked out.”

“Yep.” Yang said dryly. “Looks like we’re going to have to do this the hard way then.”

“Seem so.” Weiss agreed, pulling the brush from its hiding place in her apron pocket. “Hold her still.”

Little ears flattened back at the sight of the brush. Her eyes narrowing at the offending object. She knew what it meant, and she wanted no part of it.

[No!] She growled as menacingly as she could. If she were older, it might have actually been intimidating, but her human captors could only regard her with sympathy.

Yang sighed with a knowing frown, gently smoothing out the messy black bangs. "Trust me squirt, we don't like this any more than you do.”

The aggressive look melted away at the sight of Yang’s fingers. Ace grabbed at them, examining and twiddling them about playfully.

"She's going to claw at us if we try to unknot these." Weiss said worriedly, biting her lip. “Hmm, perhaps we should wait for Blake. Ace doesn’t seem to mind it so much when Blake brushes her hair.”

“If we let her hair dry, it’ll only hurt worse.” Yang warned. “Besides, she’s been in a bad mood all day. I don’t think having Blake around will matter much.”

Weiss smoothed out a section of black hair with her fingers, trying to work through a large tangle as gently as possible without having to use the brush if she could avoid it. “True, but I don’t relish the thought of being used as a scratching post. This is such a mess, how does she even accomplish something like this?”

“Good question.” Yang said, hiking Ace further up onto her hip. “You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

"Well, about the only one who doesn't come out of bath time unscathed is Blake." Yang winced when Ace nipped at her finger nail curiously.

Small Faunus had sharp claws, and Ace used them quite indiscriminately. Both while playing, and while upset. They were tiny, and sharp like a small kitten. None of them ever blamed her for it, but they still hurt. Part of the problem was that Ace lacked of control of her Faunus traits, something Blake promised she would learn as she got older.

Until then, they had to deal with the small hands that could claw through human aura, leaving catlike scratches in her wake.

“Alright, let’s get started.” Weiss said, resigning herself to the inevitable screeching. "You hold her still, and I will try to do this as quickly and painlessly as possible."

Another unhappy little growl morphed into a loud screech, and Yang resigned herself to the tiny pinpricks already dotting their way up her arms as Ace protested with all of her might.

* * *

It was on this typical Wednesday evening that Blake returned home more than a little tired. She was covered in the rustic joys of the outdoors, a mission done well and competed with a few lien for her troubles. It would be enough to cover part of the monthly bills, and there was a warm satisfaction in that. She picked a red maple leaf off of her clothing before stepping up to the door. She could hear the ruckus going on inside the home before she even entered. A smile tugged at her lips. Yang was yelling about something.

Entering in on the scene only proved her suspicions. "Under the couch again?" Blake asked with a note of humor lacing her voice.

“Yep…”

“Why?”

"Weiss brushed her hair.”

“Ah, now it makes sense.” Blake murmured setting the household lien down onto the coffee table. She would have to give it to Weiss later. “Sounds like that was an event in and of itself.”

“Oh, you should have seen it.” Yang explained, wearing another shirt that was mangled beyond repair. The skin beneath sporting angry red marks. “Ace screamed like we were killing her, and then she darted under the couch. She hasn’t come out since."

Blake nodded slowly. “She likes it under there.”

“Yeah, well I don’t like that she likes it.” Yang complained. It was clear that Ace had given several good attempts at trying to climb out of Yang's strong grip. Reaching for her little sister, she hollered once more as two sharp eye-teeth stabbed into her hand. "And what's with the biting?!” Yang shouted, pulling her hand away from the tiny terror. “What the hell did I did to deserve that?"

"Like you wouldn't bite someone who came after you with a brush…" Blake said, ears flattening back trying to drown out Yang's tirade. She bent down to get a look at the still very naked little girl who had managed to thwart every attempt at being removed from her favorite spot. "Hello trouble..."

A territorial growl was the only greeting Ace gave. [Mine.]

Blake raised her eyebrow. Her own body language placid as she considered that small detail. She had no interest in the space between the floor and the sofa, and she certainly wouldn’t claim it as her own. [Yours…] She wordlessly agreed with a docile flick of her ear. Then she issued a small meow of her own. [Come here.]

[No.] She growled lowly, ears flattening back as she scooted further into the corner.

Blake cleared her throat, sitting up to see Yang giving her an impatient look.

“Well?” The blonde asked.

“She’s certainly in a bad mood today…”

"What's her problem? I didn't do anything." Yang said, flaring her aura around the two puncture wounds.

"No, not yet." Blake said offhandedly. "That said, I’d be willing to bet that you were trying to put her in clothes."

"Actually, I gave up on that too…" Yang trailed off sheepishly, her thumb brushing away the two droplets of blood that remained after the bite had healed. She whipped it away on a napkin, crumpling it up to dispose of it later. "I was just trying to get her to eat."

"I'll get her." Blake too, was met with angry little mewls of displeasure, as the small child backed further into the corner and just out of reach. This undeterred the older Faunus who reached out and grabbed Ace, aura flaring around the small teeth that dug into her arm. She let it persist, ignoring the line of spittle as the little girl chewed and chewed. "Yang…" Blake said softly as she winced at a new realization. No wonder she was gnawing. "She's cutting a few more teeth I think."

"How does that not hurt?"

"Because her teeth can't cut through my aura yet. I'm a cat Faunus, same as her. Besides, she’s just a baby.” Blake said as she started to rub at little ears, soothing away the soft growling that was lowly morphing into purrs. “It'll be years before she'll have a strong enough bite through an aura like mine."

“Yeah, well she better knock it off.” Yang shot back, more than a little angry. “That really hurts.”

“She’s just playing, Yang.”

“She broke the skin!” Yang barked. “That’s not playing.”

Blake wrapped Ace in a blanket, watching the little girl claw, bite, and scratch at her arm. A low wine working up from the back of her throat, frustrated and unhappy as she worked her jaw against Blake’s thumb. Her mouth obviously bothering her. "She is a predator Faunus, pretending to hunt is part of playing. Plus, she’s still teething. It’s probably driving her crazy."

"Yeah, well I'm not a mouse." Yang sighed grumpily.

"Your hand might as well be. If you thought teasing me with a laser pointer back at Beacon was all fun and games, think again." Blake told her. "I was practically an adult and I was drawn to it. What do you think she's going to do if she sees something enticing flailing around in her hiding place?"

Thoroughly chastised and feeling more than a little embarrassed for being reminded of her lapse in judgement, she relented. "Okay, okay, so maybe I was being an idiot... I don’t know…"

"No, you were being you, and normally she loves that. She's just in a bad mood, that’s all." Blake said softly as she wrangled the little girl into a diaper and one of her shirts. Anything else was a lost cause in the comfort of their own home. Before she knew it, Ace was running off again. "Where are Weiss and Ruby?"

Yang offered only a passing glance as she sat down and put her feet up. "Weiss ditched. Said she needed some space."

"She's probably having tea with Ren and Pyrrha then."

"My thoughts." Yang said, blipping on the television and leaning back to get comfortable. "And Ruby…” Yang shrugged. “Well, she came in here looking like death warmed over. She barely crawled into the shower, and then tried to eat dinner only to pass out at the table.”

“Classy…”

“Right? I hauled her into bed and that's the last I heard of her." She reached over to hold a lamp in place as her young half-sister proved her brazen disregard for fear. “Ace, don’t you dare.”

Little ears flicked, crimson eyes looking to Yang curiously. Then she yanked on the cord.

"Ace!" Yang snapped sharply.

[Kin.] Ace mewed, red eyes flicking up to her older sister. She looked at the cord again, deciding pulling the lamp off the table would be a bad idea.

"I swear, sometimes I think Grimm are less trouble." Yang sighed, slowly releasing the lamp. She kept watching her sister intently just in case Ace went for it again.

"You only have yourself to blame." Blake laughed as she walked into the kitchen. "I'll bet you that's your side of the family acting up."

"Ya think?" Yang called sarcastically, with the tiniest of smirks. The popping of a tin can couldn't have come at a better time as Ace rushed to the kitchen. She knew what that sound was. "On your sixth, Blake." She warned, which of course meant that Ace was now behind her, clearly looking for handouts in the form of whatever canned fish she thought Blake had just opened.

"She's not going to be happy, because this isn't dinner." Blake called back. "Or anything she can have."

"Oh?"

"It was a new can of sweetened condensed milk." Blake explained loud enough for Yang to hear from the other room. She could already feel Ace clawing at her pant leg already, tiny mews issuing from the young Faunus. The little girl was still too young for milk products though. Blake wasn’t even sure if Ace would ever be able to tolerate them.

“What for?”

"If Ruby has as bad a day as you implied, she would probably appreciate some homemade hot chocolate.” Blake told her partner. “I thought I would make her some."

Yang raised an eyebrow, standing up, and going into the kitchen. "You've been doing that kind of thing a lot, lately."

"Don't even think about it." Blake said, warming a mixture in a pan over low heat.

"No, I'm serious." Yang said, picking Ace up when the little girl raced for her. "You've been looking after Ruby a lot recently. I just wondered what was up with that." With her youngest sister safely on her hip, Yang meandered over to the fridge, grabbing a jar of ground up meat.

"She's been taking over a lot of my charity work recently.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too.”

“Well, I really appreciate that.”

“Why aren’t you doing it yourself?”

“Why do you think?" Blake shot back, sparing a glance over her shoulder. "I've got to stay near Vale for the time being."

“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that.”

“It’s fine, Yang.” Her golden eyes flicked to the troublesome young Faunus who gave the humans of the house a run for their sanity. Yang and Weiss tried their best, but Ace was a very head strong little girl. As a Faunus, her teeth and claws made it very difficult to handle her without restraint. Blake didn't have the same problems, being a Faunus herself, and so it was just easier to stay near the wayward youth. "Doing these little things for Ruby is just my way of saying thank you."

"Uh-huh..." Yang muttered unconvinced. "You sure that's it?"

"Yes, I'm sure..."

"Well, okay. If you say so."

"Listen, I'm just trying to do the right thing." Blake turned to her blonde haired friend. "Ruby's been working so hard to keep our charity endeavors afloat. She doesn't have to, but she does. The Faunus in the streets need help. With every job they get and meal they’re fed, they’re less likely to join extremist groups." She doubted that Yang would ever truly understand the allure of the White Fang, and other originations like it. The blonde just wasn't that inclined to cruelty, and violence came with a territory. "It’s not her burden to bear, Yang, but she still does it anyways…”

“It’s not your burden either, Blake.” Yang rebutted as she watched her sister munch on the late afternoon snack. "It's not your job to save every single Faunus that looses their way."

“That's just it, though, Yang. It is my problem.” Blake shot back. “It’s why I became a huntress, to make the Faunus plight my burden. I can’t help but feel like Ruby’s pushing herself too hard to do all of this for my sake. Plus, with you and Weiss pulling all of those cargo missions lately..." Blake trailed off.

“Hey, I get you.” Yang said with a small smirk. “You don’t have to explain.”

"And you don’t need to go around getting the wrong idea." Blake said, turning back to the warming milk on the stove. "I agreed to stay behind because it makes the most sense that I keep an eye on Ace. At least until she's older and has better control over herself.” The Faunus said, forcing the words out of her mouth. The denial would be easier to come by if she didn’t have to look Yang in the eye. “Still, I have to admit, seeing Ruby come home so tired all the time makes me feel bad. A small thing like hot chocolate is the least I can do..."

* * *

Opulence was a thing of the past. So easily given to her because of bloodline and privilege, and so easily taken away by those same circumstances. She’d let go of any notion of wealth the moment she chose to be a huntress. It was not a job coveted by those in prime positions of power. Any renown she might gather was crippled by the ominous stories spun by the wealthy. People who knew nothing about the dangers beyond the kingdom walls. Grimm were not a threat deterred by money, no matter how much someone decided to throw at it.

Traipsing around in the wilderness was not her strongest suit either.

She was a huntress for hire. She expected to be compensated adequately for her time and efforts. Those who couldn’t pay just weren’t worth it. While it was true that some might think her a cold hearted woman, the truth came closer to the soul than she cared to admit. She had a household the relied heavily on her earnings. Team members that wouldn’t be able to continue their own endeavors without funds to secure supplies and ammunition.

Blake would never have been able to volunteer her time at the soup kitchens if the team didn’t find earnings elsewhere. Ruby would not be able to take costly exterminations missions out of the goodness of her heart if they couldn’t fund the ventures from their own pockets.

In an ideal world, no job would ever need to be turned down. However, ideology alone didn’t keep the lights on or put food on the table.

What sat in front of her was a thick packet. Inside, lay a single answer to many difficult questions that kept cropping up lately. It was almost too good to be true, but, the stipulations were long lasting as well. With warm tea to steady her thoughts, she gazed across the table to the woman she considered a dear friend.

“Are you sure?” She asked, fingers taking hold of the teacup and allowing herself a slow sip. The gentle clinking of the teacup against its matching saucer was too brief a distraction.

“Positive.” Pyrrha replied with a tiny nod. “With Jaune and I going, there are going to be two other openings. I wanted you to have the first opportunity.”

“Ren and Nora aren’t taking them?”

“No, they’ve both politely declined.” Pyrrha said, a waning smile indicating her just how uneasy that made her. Team JNPR had been a steadfast team, just like the members of RWBY. They were bound together, family, even if the word itself wasn’t openly used. “I can’t say I’m surprised. They want to have the freedom to take missions as they please.”

“Yes, I see. That makes sense.” Weiss told her. “Nora has always been something of a free spirit.”

“Quite so.” Pyrrha laughed gently. “Well, at least this way we’ll have someone to look over the house.”

“I’m surprised you’ve wanted to recruit from team RWBY, though.” Weiss told her, more than a little nervous about the far reaching implications.

“Is it an unfavorable request?”

“No, no, it’s nothing like that.” Weiss managed a smile of her own, shaking her head at the question with a small laugh. “With Ace to look after, we’re not the team we used to be. We can’t just pack our things and leave on a moment’s notice anymore.”

“Well, there would only be room for two of you…”

Weiss felt uncomfortable even thinking about it, but, the earnings would be too large to ignore. “Perhaps that isn’t exactly a bad thing.”

“Personally, I would take comfort knowing that any of you were there.” Pyrrha told her. “That’s something I don’t say lightly. If we’re going to be cohabitating with other hunters, I’d like to be well acquainted with them. With Team CFVY filling the other four positions, it only makes sense for members of RWBY to fill in the remaining two spots.”

“Well, I’d be happy to take a position. We could certainly use the money. However, I would have to speak to Yang before I could agree.” Weiss said, her fingers falling atop the recruitment package. “She’s my assigned mission partner for the time being. It would be a lot to ask of her, I don’t know if she’ll agree.”

“Take your time and talk it over as a team.” Pyrrha insisted. “You need to do what’s best for all of you. I just wanted you to know that the offer is on the table.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter is headed your way shortly.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: As you can see this chapter contains the original scene between Qrow and Taiyang. I separated it from the other scenes. It’s longer than it was before, and I thought it deserved the separation. There’s also a short additional scene for Qrow and Glynda.
> 
> Original chapter length: 2,107  
Revisited chapter length: 2,246  
“Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 14**

Qrow returned from his mission more sober than he would have liked. He had drained his flask hours before, and he had no refill to sip on. Reporting to Ozpin had only darkened his day in a way he couldn’t quite articulate. He lived a dangerous life. There were risks involved with that. Death was so common he’d thought himself numb to the idea of losing friends and what little construct of family that he knew.

Raven’s death forced him to reconsider everything he had come to know about himself.

He heard the news from Ozpin first. Then he saw the report made by Ruby Rose, the handwritten missive detailing every gory detail. His first instinct was disbelief. He had to see it for himself, so he went to that little village. When he was faced with what had to be the gravesite, denial burned him from the inside out. He just couldn’t swallow down the fact that his own sister was dead.

Gone.

As twins they held a special bond over the years. They were as famous for their relation as they were for their skill. They were slaves to their vices, irredeemably so. That commonality bound them close when nothing else could. In their youth one sibling couldn’t come up in conversation without mentioning the other. It happened all the time. Both of them were being compared constantly. If they weren’t on the same team, it might have even been insulting.

It certainly inspired rivalry, if little else.

A rift formed between them, made worse over the years for a variety of reasons. Too many to name, and most of them too small in the grand scheme to have really mattered in the first place. Qrow regretted it now. A lot of the past couldn’t be undone. Now, there was no chance to reconcile either.

Qrow didn’t know how to feel about that, his mind a constant conflict.

As her brother, he’d always felt a particular duty to Raven. To look after her, to protect her. She hated it. They never saw eye to eye, fighting more often than not. Raven was independent like that. She didn’t want to be coddled. She didn’t want to be in her brother’s shadow, and he respected that. He didn’t have a choice but to trust in his sister.

Raven was strong.

Pound for pound, her brute strength and swordplay was only just a little weaker than his. What she lacked in that department she made up for by being sly and cunning. She was no push-over, not as a huntress or as a person. He knew too many women in the trade to think that Raven was an outlier, either.

He came up in an academy full of women like Raven. He graduated only to meet more as time went on. He sat side by side with one such woman, the reserved blonde sipping on a gin and tonic as the time ticked by. Glynda Goodwitch offered silent comfort. The companionship was comfortable when she wasn’t lecturing him about his reckless behavior.

He appreciated the support, even if he wasn’t quite sure what to say.

He looked down at his scroll as it lit up again. He didn’t even try to answer it. As far as his nieces were concerned, he was still on a mission. For now, that’s how it would stay. So many missed calls, and he still didn’t have a way to respond to them. A single question found its way to his lips. “So, does Tai know yet?”

“Yes.” Glynda said, keeping her voice perfectly neutral. “There was no reason to wait. Ozpin and I notified him after you made the confirmation.”

“Not before?”

She licked her lips, voice delicate. “We had to be sure.”

Qrow nodded in understanding. They had doubted her report at first. It was outlandish, in a way impossible. It was hard to believe, harder to swallow. It didn’t making him happy to think that his biases had gotten in the way of his niece. Ruby was something of a prodigy, a lot like her mother in that way. A cut above so many, her formative years riddled with accomplishments already. Her youth was the only thing slowing her down on her path to greatness, a few more years in the field would give her that final edge she needed.

He changed the subject, reaching for something else to talk about. “Is it true about the kid?” Qrow muttered. “It’s really Raven’s?”

“That's indisputable.” Glynda told him.

“Damn…”

Glynda nodded, lips thinning before she wet them with her beverage of choice. “I don’t know how you plan to cope with that. It seems like Yang and Ruby have a handle on the situation.”

“Do they?” He groused out, side-eyeing Glynda unhappily. “Or are you just hopeful?”

“Simply realistic.” Glynda told him gently.

"Right." He groused angrily.

“According to the records, the child was village born." She continued to explain. "Team RWBY made the accommodations required to keep the baby with them in Vale for the time being. I believe they plan to raise her themselves.”

“Does Tai know that too?”

“I thought I’d leave that to you.”

He gave her a look, a thousand curses dying before he could speak them. Deflated, he could turn to hail the barkeep.

Glynda watched as Qrow order another drink, this time asking the bartender to leave the bottle. She said nothing to it, not a single harsh word. It was one of the few times she wouldn’t think to scold him. Instead, she merely clinked her glass with his and took another sip.

In a strange way, it was fitting. A silent toast to the bygone vagabond.

* * *

Whiskey was a strange liquid. A golden monstrosity. Heaven and hell all in the same drink. It teased him constantly, cloying the back of his mind. He was an alcoholic, and he struggled when he couldn’t get his fix. In times of stress he found himself sinking deeper into the bottle, a bad habit of his, he knew. It didn’t stop him from pouring another glass.

Instead, it aided in his downward spiral.

It gently burned a path down his throat, a constant reminder that he was still alive. For better and for worse, he walked this sordid planet when others didn’t. Fortune spitting in his face and taunting him when he had absolutely nothing to live for.

When others had every reason to live, they died. He didn’t begin to know why. Couldn’t guess, and didn’t dare to prophesize. All that was left was to carry on the best way that he knew how.

Whiskey a single consolation for years of failings.

It had powers beyond his wildest imagination. In some ways it was like a healing tonic. Soothing away bitter feelings and numbing his mind when it just wouldn’t rest. In others, it was his vice. Cruel chains holding him in a powerful grip that he could not be rid of. This fine liquid was a constant paradox.

It always had been.

For him, it always would be. He knew the demon well, something he couldn’t slay.

It was his answer to a great many problems, and his only way to silence the voices in his head. He took another sip and slouched over. Slamming his glass onto the table was a muddled afterthought. Qrow Branwen knew there would be no answers at the bottom of that glass. He could look down at it all that he wanted.

It wouldn’t change a single thing. Not the past, it was long gone. Not the future, it hadn’t even arrived yet. Life’s greatest answers eluded him.

He doubted there was even a meaning to life. He cursed every possible deity. He refused to think that there might be a higher power in charge of this whole mess that he called living. If there was, it had a twisted sense of humor…

If there was a god, it was probably laughing at him now. Him, and the man beside him that grieved so deeply. More deeply than Qrow had ever known how.

"Hey, you just going to sit there for the next eighteen years?" He asked Taiyang flippantly.

"Not my problem." The saddened man slurred between his own drink. The short blonde hair on his head unwashed and disheveled. He was equally as drunk as Qrow. Sadly, he was less put together. “Not my kid.” He finally said with a sigh.

"No shit, but your girls have taken a liking to the little rug-rat.” Qrow said to him, morbid humor the only thing left to him besides grief. “Might want to see what all the fuss is about."

"She's your niece, Qrow.” Taiyang spat. “You go see her.”

“Why me?”

“Why not you? You're actually blood.” There was a small tinge of clarity in his voice. Just briefly, as he looked Qrow in the eyes before faltering and looking away again. “You owe it to me, and to this family to step up here."

Qrow did the only thing he could do at that. He reached for the bottle and poured himself another drink. Not the most responsible decision he ever made, but by far not the worst. "Don’t start up on me.”

“Why shouldn’t I?” The sharp question was dulled by lingering grief.

Qrow had heard that tone before. He knew it well. It was the sort that only came from a long list of regrets. With no hope to reconcile any of them. He knew, because he felt the same. A lump gathered in his throat.

“Look, Tai, I’ve made my mistakes.” He said, knowing just how woefully inadequate his efforts had been. If he could turn back time, he would, but that was impossible. “I’ve done it plenty, I’ve got a whole damn list.” His flaws a depressing mosaic that time itself could not erase. “When they’re mine, I own up to ‘em.”

“Yeah, right...”

“I'm not going to take responsibility for this one.” Qrow told him, wagging his glass slightly before sipping the amber liquid into his mouth. “It wasn't my fault. Besides, I know only just as much as you do, nothing more.”

“That’s bullshit.” Taiyang muttered darkly.

The doubt was well deserved, but Qrow could do nothing about his past. He couldn’t heal away the scars made by time. He could only sigh, complicit in all of the wordless accusations being thrown around between the both of them. Too many failings, and an overflow of wounded pride. “No, it isn’t. I don’t know anything else.”

“And I don’t believe you.”

“Then that’s on you.” Qrow murmured. “I'm not dancing this cha-cha again. It was bad enough the first go around with Yang and Ruby.”

“Yeah, it was, and you tapped out then, too.”

“Hey, I’m not the one to blame for this."

"No, it wasn't your fault, but it _was_ your sister's promiscuity." Tai told him. "You should take some responsibility here."

"Okay, okay, shit, don't you think that's just a little too far?" Qrow asked darkly. "Raven wasn't the most maternal human being on the face of this planet, I’ll give ya that. She was a pretty bad parent, and she was rotten to you. Fact is, she didn't just spread her legs to just anyone, and you know that."

“Maybe.”

“Hey, come on man. She was still my family.” Seeing his friend at a complete loss bothered him. Knowing what caused it made him feel sick. "Tai, it wasn't anything you did. Raven was a loner. Always was, always would be."

"Then why find another man to screw? Why not just come home!?"

“I don’t know, Tai.”

Taiyang reached for the bottle. What else was he supposed to do? He shook his head. It was all pointless now. "She wanted a family? Its right here. Right where it's always been. Why do you think I never moved?"

“Cause you’re an idiot?”

Taiyang downed his glass and poured more. "I waited.” He muttered drunkenly. “Yang waited… And for what?” He couldn’t help the way his tongue slid across the words. “To be forgotten about and disregarded entirely?" He shook his head. It hurt. Everything just hurt. "It isn't my kid…”

“Nope… It’s not.”

“It could have been.” Tai told him then. “But, in the end, it wasn't…” More booze to drown the pain. A vicious medication all its own. “Excuse me if I don't know how to deal with that."

"You're right. The baby isn't yours. Raven moved on, maybe she did forget. Maybe she didn't give a rat’s ass about you or Yang…” Qrow began, taking the bottle from Taiyang and filling his own glass again. “Or, ya know, maybe she was just too ashamed to come back home…”

“Did she tell you that?” The blonde man asked.

“Nope, sentimentally wasn’t her style.” Qrow sighed. “She’d never admit something like that.”

“Then how would you know why she stayed away?”

“She's dead, Tai, we're never going to know." He shrugged at his own harsh words. "Fact is, Raven did pop out another kid. And like it or not, it is Yang's baby sister. For what it's worth, that bond means something to her."

"I know that."

"Then why the fuck are you still sitting here?"

Taiyang sighed, looking deeply at the amber liquid. Instead of answering, he emptied he glass one final time and closed his eyes. "Back at you, Qrow. Why are you still here?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the two chapters. I'll post more when I can.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: Two new scenes added. One between Ruby and Weiss. One between Ruby and Ren. One scene was moved to the next chapter. The rest of this is old content, merely added onto. Themes have been heavily expanded here. 
> 
> Original chapter length: 1,990  
Revisited chapter length: 2,988  
“Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 15**

Late at night, the children's programming line-up ended in favor infomercials. The long-winded and repetitive programming ran until sunrise. The low drone of men in suits showcasing the latest technology flickered across the screen. The soft glow of the television flickering in the otherwise dark room.

That was what Yang entered in on one morning when she was trying to wake up early. The clock showed that the sun wasn’t likely to rise for another hour. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, her gaze falling upon a more interesting sight. Half of the household had clearly fallen asleep on the couch last night.

Ace was laying across Ruby, using the woman as a human mattress. Little clawed fingers digging into the cotton shirt, just as always.

Yang was sure that Blake hadn't intended to fall asleep curled into Ruby. She doubted that the lone human on the sofa was aware of where her hand wandered in her sleep. Still the shared purring of the two sleeping Faunus meant that something went right. Even if that something was merely that none of them were currently lucid enough to know what was happening amongst them.

Ignoring the plethora of smart-ass remarks she could have made about it, she went into the kitchen. Weiss was already hunched over the table. The bleary eyed woman sipping on some well-deserved coffee. The dark blend thick in the air.

"What in the hell happened to you?" Yang asked grumpily, noticing her friend's rather unkempt appearance. Her long white hair in a disarray of tangles. Dark circles under her eyes telling Yang that Weiss hadn’t slept well.

"Mission day." Weiss said before drowning herself in rather undignified gulp of the caffeinated substance. “Take that as you will.”

“I thought you had today off…”

“So did I, but Ruby’s been running herself ragged.” She licked her lips, sighing deeply as the clarity began to take hold. "Blake finally convinced Ruby to stay home and rest. The only problem is, she has a mission that can’t go on unfinished. Naturally, I got roped into it.”

It wasn’t a complete surprise, but, Yang found a mild entertainment in her friend’s rant. “What’s the mission?”

“Clearing out the boarders around the city." Weiss told her unhappily, lifting the cup to her lips only to find that it was empty. With a scowl she headed directly to the coffee pot to obtain more. “A few nests were found near the paths. Merchants and traders are getting restless.”

“Huh…” Yang said under her breath. "Grunt work?"

“So it seems.” Weiss said making a beeline for the table and plopping herself back down.

A beat of silence followed.

“Need help?” the blonde asked, arms stretching over her head. A long yawn slipping out. The smell of the warm drink in the air was too good to ignore.

“Unlikely.”

“What’s the briefing look like?” Pouring her own mug full dark coffee, Yang took a sip. The contents steamed thickly as she poured in a splash of milk for good measure.

Weiss wordlessly pushed the mission briefing across the table. It was too easy for a huntress as skilled as herself. However, according to the reports the hordes weren't manageable by a team of students. "It's obvious why Ruby accepted it."

"Team of fourth years got their asses handed to them, huh?" Yang shook her head. "They don't make students like they used to."

"I’d like to consider that a good thing.” Weiss told her, the wayward thought sleepily skittering beyond her lips. “It means that we live in relatively peaceful times. We should hope the trend continues."

"Yeah… You keep thinking that." Yang said, closing the folder and yawning again. "You look beat. You must have gotten in late."

Weiss nodded, the implication clear. "Pyrrha and I were just discussing a long term mission assignment.”

“Oh?”

“It's time for the yearly recruitment along the walls.” Weiss nodded, tucking her chin into her palm. “Several older hunters are slated for retirement and positions are opening. I hear that that team CFVY have all accepted the assignment."

"The wall assignments are for lazy hunters who don't give a rat's ass about the outlying forests and supply routes." Yang shot back, but Weiss had already thought long and hard about it. “Can those lazy wall guards even call themselves huntsmen?”

Weiss rolled her eyes. She had expected that reaction. “Well, they’d have to be certified somehow…”

“You know what I mean.”

“I agree that it isn’t a glamorous position, and that some might find it lazy.” She told Yang, her finger running the rim of her mug. “I know you think it’s the coward’s way out…”

“No shit.” Yang grumbled.

“However, those positions are also an option for hunters with families." Weiss said pointedly, seeing vivid lilac eyes glare at her. “It’s just a thought.”

"Okay..." Yang said, putting down her mug. "I'm listening."

The only question was, how to make the job sound appealing for Yang? Weiss didn’t know for sure, but the facts should have spoken for themselves. She could only sigh, hoping the cold truth would be enough. "The walls around Vale are the defense we count on the most. It's a mental comfort to the people. It helps to keep the peace. Seeing the hunters stationed on the walls, gates, and outposts gives everyone courage.”

“Right…”

“It pays well too, Yang.” Weiss dryly stated.

“How well?”

“Salary, not commission. It’s a steady paycheck." Weiss explained looking down into her own coffee in thought. A fingernail gently tapping on the marbled heatproof glass. "Hunters with families like working the walls. It’s close by, too, so that’s something to consider."

"Lots of bonuses by the sounds of it." Yang said slowly. "I’d bet it’s all too good to be true, calling it right now."

Weiss lifted her eyes to Yang. "It's like an Atlas military base in some ways. We'd stay on site while on active duty. Our close proximity to Vale means we'd be able to check in on days off.”

“You’re thinking of going?”

Weiss nodded. “Pyrrha was considering taking a post. They work in teams of two though, like Beacon all over again. Pyrrha would rather not be assigned a partner she doesn't know, if she can avoid it."

This surprised Yang, the blonde nearly choking on her coffee. "Wait, Jaune's not going?"

"He is…” Weiss said slowly. “However, it’s not quite so simple. For room assignments and patrols they bunk in groups of eight."

"Full alliances, huh?" Yang scratched her head. "Why that many?"

"Each segment holds a full squadron of sixteen. I can only assume it's to save space." Weiss shrugged then. "Coco propositioned JNPR for the extra four slots in their room, but Ren and Nora declined. Pyrrha wanted to offer our team the remaining two bunks.”

“And you wanna say yes…” Yang trailed off. “That about sum it up?”

“Given our finical situation, I think we should consider it.”

“The pay is that good?”

“Well, far better than we make now, that’s for sure. It would make sense for two of us to team up and bring in some real income around here." Weiss had already decided she was going to join. It would be for the best. Now, she just had to convince Yang. "Starting salary is twenty grand a year, just a little bit over Vale's minimum wage."

"Forty total in household funds…" Yang murmured, starting to see the upside in such a plan. “That’s only if two of us go…”

"We make about thirty grand among all four of us on a good year.” Weiss said. “I don't belittle all of the charity work that Ruby and Blake do, but breaking even finically isn't going to keep the lights on around here."

“Yeah, living off what we make hasn’t been so easy…”

"Plus, working within the walls doesn't conflict with our interests remotely.” Weiss told her. “Money is money…and it is, as you say, a relatively safe position for a hunter. We'd be around more consistently too. If we didn't have to take the higher paying field missions, we’d be nearby if anything happens."

"One of the safest." Yang muttered more to herself than to the woman across from her.

It was the same thing as an easy ride or cushy desk job. Only a handful of hunters stationed along the walls died every year due to a Grimm infestation. The same could not be said for the hunters sent out into the field. Their tolls were much, much higher. So high in fact, that Yang didn't even dare to look at the numbers.

When Weiss put it that way, there really was only one option.

"Alright…” Yang sighed at length. “I'll think about it…"

* * *

Convincing Yang was one thing, but it would be even harder to get Ruby to agree to let them leave. Yang could be brought to reason with a handful of simple logic. Ruby simply didn’t think the same way. Lofty goals and a knack for obscurity made her an excellent leader. Her bleeding heart made it impossible to fathom the colder truths of this world.

She was too kind and gentle for that despite bloodied hellholes she chose to trudge as a huntress.

“Weiss, are you sure you want to do this?” Ruby asked, looking at the paperwork she’d need to sign. “If you go, it'll dissolve our team.”

“That’s true, but, I’ll be in service to Vale.” Weiss told her reasonably. “That’s a fair trade-off.”

“Yeah, but we’re losing a teammate in the process.” Ruby complained, tossing the paperwork onto the bedside table as she crossed the room and sat next to her partner and roommate. “I know we’re not as close as we used to be, but I didn’t think you’d just want to leave.“

“I hate it when you say things like that. Whenever you do, you start to sound like the clingy teenager I met back in Beacon.” Weiss chastised, flicking Ruby on the forehead before shaking her head. “I know it might not seem like it, but we’re as close as we ever were. I’ll thank you not to doubt that.”

“But?” Ruby pressed, already feeling the rebuttal in the air.

“Reality as not as kind as we’d like to think it is.” Weiss told her.

“That’s why we do what we do, Weiss.” Ruby said. “If I bench you from team missions, the world will be a lot less kind. More Grimm running around doesn’t exactly made the world a better place.”

“As noble as that is, it’s time we start demanding a little more for all of our efforts.” Weiss firmly believed that. “You know, I used to pride myself on making our shoestring budget last. The problem is, it just isn’t sustainable anymore.”

“What, did we miss another house payment?”

“No, Ruby. That’s not the problem.” Weiss said with a sigh. “Listen, it’s time we stop and think critically about the future of this team. If we’re really the family that you and Yang constantly insist that we are, you should accept that distance is sometimes a requirement in our field of expertise.”

“And you think working the wall is going to solve our problems?” Ruby said dubiously.

“Monetarily speaking, it’s a very good start.” Blue eyes scanned the room. It was small, the whole house was. They’d never be able to afford a larger one without making a larger income to go along with it. “Let’s be realistic. You and Yang grew up in luxury compared to this house. This is not the place to raise a child, but, here we are.”

“I think we’re not doing too badly, all things considered.”

“It’s the best we can do for now. I’m not going to argue that, but face the facts. It just isn’t sustainable.” And that was the entire problem. The single greatest concern they all worried about.

Ruby did too.

She bit her lip, stifling a curse as she regarded Weiss seriously. A hand pushed through her dark strands of hair. She wanted to deny it, but, she couldn’t. Too many sleepless nights had drilled that single fact into her mind more than once. “We can make do, we always have before…”

“For how long?”

“I don’t know.”

“Have you even thought about that?” Weiss asked her. “We bought this house because it was a huge upgrade compared to a small dorm. In the long run it won’t fit five of us comfortably, not as Ace gets older. The way that I see it, this place will last a few years at maximum. We’re going to need a bigger home eventually. Ace will need a room of her own one day. We could use another bathroom at the very least.”

“We’ll worry about it then.”

“And be sorely unprepared once we do.” Weiss shook her head. “Ruby, you put me in charge of our finances because I have a firm grasp on the cost of living and a background in investments. I’m telling you that now is the time to start thinking about these sorts of details for the future. If we want to qualify for a halfway decent loan, we will absolutely need a larger income. This is one of the few ways we can guarantee that we get it.”

She reached for the paper and pen, holding them aloft. “Sign it, Ruby. If you care about Ace at all, you _have_ to do it.”

* * *

Paperwork in hand, Ruby had a lot to think about. It seemed impossible to dismantle the team. After the years spent together, the ending of an era wasn’t on Ruby’s agenda. She never thought it would come down to something so pragmatic the bills. Money was an afterthought to her original goal in life. A shift in lifestyle had been felt among the entire team, but this seemed a step too far.

She wondered what others might think of it. Soul searching on her own only made her dread the results. Uncertainty rested heavily on shoulders as the concept buried deeper. On the one hand, Weiss was right, but on the other, Ruby wondered if she wasn’t somehow horribly wrong. Dissolving the team in this way held a permanence unlike any other.

“And, did you sign it?” Ren asked calmly, his eyes closed as he leaned back against the bark of the tree.

Training his aura required him to relax. To focus on anything other than the emotions surrounding him. In order to use his semblance effectively, he needed a clear head. Working with the flow of ciaos instead of rebelling against it. Accepting it flawlessly, and coping as diligently with the stressors of daily life as he could muster.

Without the careful time to center himself, his aura would be useless. It was fitting then, that the people he chose to train with often pressed the limits of his abilities. His teammates and friends were unlike him, lacking a relaxed demeanor when it mattered most.

“Not yet.” Ruby told him, a mirror image of the man sitting across from her. She also sat beneath a nearby tree, back resting against the bark. She could feel the breeze in the air, but it wasn’t as soothing to her senses as it was for Ren. His training was always so centered compared to her own. She felt restless and fidgety. Her aura wasn’t suited to being stationary. Calling upon it and then sitting still only managed to make a mess of rose petals where she sat.

“Hmm.” He acknowledged softly. “Why not?”

“I don’t know.” She said, bitterly flicking away another petal. It was a fight just to keep her eyes closed and her breathing steady. “It sort of feels like an ending of an era.”

“Maybe so.” He told her. “Is that so bad?”

“I don’t want to beak the team in half.”

“Still, there are merits in what she says.” Ren supplied, only fueling Ruby’s own annoyance on the subject. “If there weren’t, then you wouldn’t be so conflicted about it.”

There was no vindication down that line of thought. Even worse, there was no comfort in the reality that would ultimately present itself. If she didn’t sign, they’d always struggle with money problems. If she did, there was no telling what the future would bring. She took her responsibilities as a team leader upon her shoulders for years, refusing to believe in another way. Things had always worked out, but now, team dynamics had taken a sharp lurch in a direction that none of them fully knew how to cope with.

“There has to be a better way.” She said with a sigh. “I just don’t know what that is. If I can’t give a better option, what else am I supposed to do?”

“That I can’t tell you.” He murmured, cracking his eyes open long enough to look at her form. Tense and troubled. “Our circumstances are not the same as yours.” He closed his eyes to the darkness releasing a soft breath. “I think you need to do what’s best for everyone. I also think that upon further inspection you’ll find that Weiss may be onto something.”

“Maybe...” Ruby said, flicking away another petal.

“Well, the real question is; what’s the harm in trying?”

She couldn’t say anything. The question itself was something she didn’t even know how to answer. She couldn’t find the words, huffing a low sigh in agitation. Leadership had never been so hard. Especially when the outcome would lead to an end of that role. “What about you?” She asked feeling her throat tighten at the mere thought. “Doesn’t it bother you?”

“We disbanded our team formally as of last week.” He said as though it was the simplest thing in the world. “It doesn’t make us any less than what we were before. Those ties can’t be broken by a piece of paper.”

Ruby just nodded at his easygoing answer. Deep down though, there lingered a wholly unsatisfying thought.

Maybe there really wasn’t a better way...

Maybe, sending Weiss and Yang to patrol the wall was the only way to keep everyone together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thursday updates are now resuming properly, hope you enjoyed this one. See you all next week.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: A scene that used to be in last chapter was moved here and more was added onto it. It’s now a standalone chapter due to the length of the scene.
> 
> Original chapter length: 2077  
Revisited chapter length: 2,160
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

** Chapter 16 **

Yang thought about it, but, it didn’t take very long to decide. She agreed to take the mission assignment along the wall of Vale.

Ruby had reluctantly signed the paperwork, unhappily dissolving the only team name she had ever been given. Relinquishing her title as the team’s leader, and any duties that came with it.

Within a week Yang and Weiss were called in to Beacon. After a simple meeting with Ozpin the details began to slip into place. The final paperwork took a matter of days to be finalized. Blake protested, but Ruby couldn’t do anything else about it. The choice had been made.

Soon boxes started to arrive. Yang and Weiss were both sent an empty duffle bag to carry personal items. Due to the nature of the small living space, anything that couldn't fit in the duffle or the assigned weapons locker would have to stay home. They were each issued a backpack of survival gear. Finally, a box containing five uniforms, five pairs of pajamas, a pair of steel toed shoes each rounded off the delivery.

Soon after, the messenger arrived with their new mission details. They had requested and had been granted the open slots on Vale's westward wall. It was the one nearest to their home.

Blake, however, was not pleased with the decision. "I can’t believe you actually got Ruby to sign off on the documents. She should have never let you do this.”

“Ruby knew better than to try and stop me.” Yang told her. “I do what I want, and I always have. Besides, Weiss got to her first. By the time I got to her it didn’t take much convincing at all.”

“I still don't agree with this.”

“Then it’s a good thing you’re not my team leader.”

“No, but I’m still your teammate. That should count for something.”

"We’re not a team anymore, Blakey.”

“And that doesn’t upset you, even a little?”

“Why? It’s just a title. It’s still the same way it’s always been around here… Not being a team anymore doesn’t change that. Well, kind of doesn’t change anything, I mean.”

“I know what you mean.” Blake groused, arms crossed. “I still think this is the worst idea that Weiss has ever come up with.”

“We’re only going to be two hours away." Yang said, already resigning herself to her fate. "We couldn't get a closer assignment if we tried. Well, unless we asked for the Beacon tower position…”

“That’s supposed to be a comfort?!” Blake snapped.

“Well, yeah.” Yang told her. “No one wants to be stationed there. It's all computer terminals and babysitting academy kids. I'd lose my mind, and Weiss would blow her top the second she was told to shadow a bunch of first years. Besides, that's really no different from field work. When the students go on assignments, I'd have to track them down.”

“Yang-”

“Besides, we really do need the cash…" The blonde interrupted. “That’s what Weiss and I do, we bring home the bacon around here. We just need fattier pork, that’s all.”

"Right…” Blake muttered under her breath before shaking her head to clear the mental image. “I agree that the assignment you were given was a lucky one. There’s just one huge problem that you’re not thinking about…”

“Hmm?”

“What are you going to do about Ace?" Blake asked, that little detail one of the ones that bothered her the most. "You don't actually think leaving Ruby and I in charge is a good idea, do you?"

"It's not a bad one…"

"You’re crazy…”

“What? I'm just saying the truth." As she continued to cram her admittedly small duffel full, she realized that Weiss would be in for a rough time of things. If she thought Beacon's storage was hell in a handbag, this was going to be a whole new level of torture. "It's not like I'm leaving you guys for good. Wall rotation isn't all that bad."

"It isn't all that good, either, Yang."

"Weiss and I will work twelve to sixteen hour days, seven days in a row. Then they give us seven days off. Rinse, repeat. It’s a good system. I mean, yeah, I'm sure the seven days working sucks. Crammed living space, long hours, the food is probably crappy, but then I have a whole week after that to be home with Ace…"

"You should be staying here.” Blake insisted. “Ruby or I should be going with Weiss. Ace needs you. You’re her sister."

“Yeah, sister.” Yang shot back. “I’m not her mom…”

“You’re the closest thing she has.”

"Blake, remember what we talked about. You know, that whole bad influence thing?"

“Not this again.” The Faunus could feel the headache forming. Eyes closed she brought a hand up to her forehead. "I told you, stop thinking that way about yourself. It doesn't do you any good."

Yang knew that Blake had said something about that, but the blonde still had plenty of doubts. She still cursed all of the things she couldn't do right the first time. Working along the wall was one thing she knew she could do. She needed the stability too, even if that was one of the hardest truths to admit.

"Look…” She began, hesitating over her words as she looked down at the dust bottle in her hand. “Blake, I… I'm never going to be good at this whole keeping a baby out of trouble thing…”

A Faunus ear flicked in aggravation. “She won’t be a baby forever.”

“Yeah, and you have no idea how much that freaks me out…”

“Why?” Blake asked, demanding to know. "Why does that bother you so much?"

“Because when I look in the mirror, I don’t like what I see.” Yang began slowly. It was hard to explain, and she looked away feeling more than a little ridiculous. It felt stupid to say it. “When Ace gets older, I don't want her to see me as the bored alcoholic who goes off on missions for months at a time and never sees her. I don’t want her to think I’m unreliable, or that I can’t do an honest day’s work just because I’m a huntress.”

It wasn’t that she resented her uncle. Not in the slightest. It just wasn't the life she wanted for herself. She needed something more.

"You aren't like your family Yang…”

“Can’t prove that, Blake.” Yang told her. “If I can’t keep myself grounded, who knows where I’ll be one day. I wanted to be a huntress so that I didn’t have to worry about this kind of thing. Now, I’ve got no choice but to be a good role model, and there’s no way I can be that selfish anymore. This isn't anything like what I'd planned, mostly because I never had a plan to begin with.”

“You and Ruby turned out differently." The Faunus retorted, her face edging onto a scowl. "You've been careful. Maybe too careful in retrospect, not to do anything that could possibly make Ace think poorly of you. You’re a person, not a robot. You’re allow to live your life and make mistakes..."

"It still isn't good enough. Maybe it is for Ace, but it's not for me." Yang admitted pulling her lip between her teeth. She looked down at that small duffel bag again, palms sweaty. "If I can't give Ace a normal upbringing, then at the very least I need to do the best I can. No excuses. She needs a life that's stable. I'm tired of living paycheck-to-paycheck, praying for work that might not come when we need it."

"Then I'll go. That way you can stay here." Blake repeated, feeling as though it was the better option. “Ace might give you a tough time, but you’ll figure it out just like you always do. I’ll only be a phone call away.”

"You’ll give up the soup kitchens and homeless shelters you put all the hours you can at?" Yang asked.

“If I have to…”

"What about the spousal abuse center you visit every Saturday to help?” Yang went on. “Or the youth center for troubled Faunus? You're just going to give up all of that?"

Yang watched as her friend's golden eyes closed, an annoyed sigh lingering in the air. A slow exhale. Face pinching unhappily under the weight of the Faunus plight. Blake wanted to bite back and fire off another retort. Yang could see it in her expression. Something stopped her from trying.

The verbal battle seemingly won, Yang smirked. "You became a huntress to make a difference. That's what you wanted and that's what you're doing. Don't throw that all away for my sake."

"What if I'm not thinking about doing it for you?" Blake growled under her breath. “Ever think of that? Ace is the Faunus plight, Yang. A textbook case, another example of an orphan left forgotten. If it wasn't for you, she'd just be another statistic. It's her, and Faunus like her, that's why I became a huntress.”

"Blake…”

“What, Yang?”

“I never wanted this… I wanted to just be a huntress. Go and do my own thing, whatever that was.” She said softly. “Maybe Raven and I aren't that different…”

“Don’t say that.”

"It's true."

"No it isn't!"

“Hey, it's okay." Yang said quietly. "You know, being a sister to Ruby was awesome. We grew up together and that was great, but, I don't know how to raise a kid.” And that was one of the darkest things that loomed in her mind. The soft hours of each day reminding her of the blood-ties and the sins that came along with it. “I never planned to... I don't know... Maybe this is some sort of retribution for how much I chased after Raven. Mom or not, maybe that wasn’t really something I should have done."

"What do you mean, Yang?" Blake murmured as she sat down on the edge of her bed.

"I get it now." Yang admitted softly, pacing back and forth a few times. "Feeling trapped. Like everything I do is just one big fuck-up after another. Maybe Raven just wasn't ready for me. Maybe she never would have been. Just like deep down, I know, I'm not ready to look after Ace. I don’t think I ever will be. Stupid as this is about to sound, I don’t wanna just leave her be, either. We're sisters, but at the end if that day, that's it. That's all she'll ever be to me. I can't be her mom, Blake. I don't know how to be one."

"But you are doing everything you can, Yang. That's a whole lot more than you could ever say about Raven. Even this new mission assignment. You're doing it for Ace, because we need the money if we ever hope to look after her…but I'm telling you that you don't have to do this."

"Yes I do…" Yang said quietly.

Yang pulled out her scroll and flipping to a picture she took unbeknownst to the trio who'd fallen asleep. She tossed her scroll to Blake, who caught it haphazardly. The image was starting to become more common place, though Yang wondered if Blake or Ruby truly noticed it. The nearness of the two of them sitting cross-legged on the floor. A bowl of pretzels between them, and Ace hunkered down in Ruby's lap.

"Go ahead, lie to me if you want.” Yang jibbed. “Tell me you don't want moments like that…"

Blake said nothing, thumbing through the incriminating evidence that Blake herself had never really taken notice of. There were so many pictures, some while the three were awake, some while they were asleep. The timestamps showed weeks of little moments. One or two photos she would have been able to brush off. Instead there were at least twenty, maybe more, if she took the time to look even further back.

Hands on her hips, Yang asked again. "Well?"

"I…" Blake licked her lips. "It's... You took that many?"

“Yeah…”

“Why would you…” Blake trailed off and sighed. “You’re being completely ridiculous.”

"See, you can't deny it, can you?" Yang said, only a hint of smugness in her tone. "You like your movie nights, and your morning fairytales. It doesn't matter if you admit it or not. You and Ruby are both playing house. Living vicariously because neither one of you are aware enough in what the hell you're doing to make a move. It's like you're already a sexless couple satisfied with settling for a lukewarm romance that doesn't go anywhere."

"That's hardly the case…"

"Then tell me otherwise. Tell me you don't have feelings for her." Yang pushed. "Fact is, I don't think you can." She gestured back to the scroll still in Blake's hand.

The pictures still on the screen. None of them were huge, or particularly scandalous. That was the worst thing about them. They didn't need to be. The natural feeling of each one proved that none of them were scripted. Blake only remembered a small handful. The rest took place while she wasn't paying attention, far too enamored with whatever else was happening around her.

She tossed the scroll back to Yang. “All this proves is that you’re a shameless shutterbug. I’m sure if I tried, I could take that many phots of you and Weiss. It doesn’t mean anything. They’re just pictures.”

"Still not denying that fact that you like Ruby." Yang told her. "Yeah, Weiss and I, we're close. It’s just not the same thing Blake, and you know that. If you want to deny it, that’s fine, but it still doesn’t change my point…”

“Which is?”

“If something bad happened to us, Ace wouldn't have anyone." Yang explained, knowing the same unfortunate rule applied to Blake and Weiss. Outside of their friends, they had no real family anymore. "We need to stick together, and I've got to do what's best for everyone. I feel like this is the right thing so I'm going, you're staying, and that's just the way it's got to be."


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: The conversation Between Pyrrha and Weiss has been moved to here. It has been reworked quite a bit and given its own chapter. Themes have been expanded upon, but the full weight of that will become obvious in the coming chapters. You will notice that Nora, Ren, Coco, and Velvet play a much larger role in this early narrative than they did before. That's mostly because I'd always felt as if the Weiss/Pyrrha pairing had been rushed, poorly written, and ill planned. I'm going to do their relationship much better justice this time around.
> 
> Original chapter length: 1,745  
Revisited chapter length: 2,010
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

** Chapter 17 **

Weiss didn’t have to travel far to reach the JNPR crested stoop. She climbed the three short steps and knocked repeatedly. Ace happily resting on her hip as they waited for the door to open. The small child was more enamored by the paper ball crinkling in her hands than she was the footsteps approaching the door. The click of the lock shifted before the door opened.

“Weiss?” Pyrrha asked, still in her bathrobe in the early hour. She covered her mouth to hide a yawn, adjusting the edges of her bathrobe only as an afterthought.

“I know it's early, I won’t keep you.” Weiss told her. “The paperwork’s been finalized, I thought you may want a copy to keep for yourself. I wanted to bring it over to you before I forgot.”

Pyrrha nodded, the fog of her brain catching up as she took the small stack in hand. “Right, I should probably give you a copy of ours as well for safe keeping.” She said slowly, stepping to the side. “Are you sure that you wouldn’t join me for tea?”

“I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Please, I insist.”

"If you're sure." Weiss rolled her eyes only slightly before appeasing the woman in front of her. Pyrrha’s upbringing demanded a certain level of decorum in all things, including early morning guests. “It seems like I’ve caused you a bit of an inconvenience.”

“Oh, nothing of the sort.” Pyrrha said dismissively, waving the comment off. “I spent most of my night trying to decide what to pack. Well, that and putting away everything else Nora insisted should go with us. If she had it her way I would have to pack the entire house.”

“Yang’s more pragmatic about it, but I’m sure she was having the same issue.” Weiss nodded, setting Ace down on the kitchen floor to play before leaning heavily on the marble counter top. “I don’t have much to choose from, so my bag was simple to pack.”

“You’ve amassed quite the collection of entertainment, haven’t you?”

“Books mostly, and I doubt I’ll have time to read any of them. I rarely find the time now, and I don’t think I’ll suddenly find the time once we’ve been issued our orders.” Weiss said with a small chuckle as Pyrrha slid a warm much of tea in her direction. “Thank you.” She murmured before gratefully taking a sip.

“Having a little one around must keep you busy. I must say though, I never would have thought for an instant that you’d become so invested in her upbringing...” It was just a simple off handed statement, if not an honest observation.

“Oh please, Ace is hardly keeping me from my reading. It's everything else in the household that happens to go on at the same time.”

“I didn’t think she was the only reason.” Pyrrha laughed. “However, I’m sure the tabloids would have something to say if they saw you now. It’s endearing, Weiss, truly.”

Even though Pyrrha meant it as a compliment, Weiss found herself strangely affronted, even as she knew there was no reason to be. “I hardly find anything endearing about it."

"You don't?"

"Well, what else am I supposed to do? Leave her wellbeing completely up to Yang?”

“Well, they are siblings after all.” Pyrrha said with a shrug. The tiny smile across her face migrating more slowly than she would like. Humor dancing in her eyes.

“Chasing a small Faunus around is no simple manner.” Weiss scoffed with a small smirk. “Yesterday I had to glyph her to the floor to keep her from getting hurt.."

"What?" Pyrrha asked, her own mug of tea halfway to her lips. "Why?"

"She ran and slipped on the hardwood floor. As if that wasn't enough she ended up crashing right into the corner table by the sofa and knocking down my water glass in the process. The shards were all over the floor it was a mess to clean."

"Sounds like it, but at least she wasn't hurt."

"Thankfully." Weiss sighed with a shake of her head. "Yang knows nothing about setting rules and boundaries. It’s hard enough getting her to upkeep the ones I set for the household, let alone protecting a small child from getting into trouble.”

At this, Pyrrha laughed. Her friend was a great many things, but above all, her bloodline and breeding still had a bad habit of sticking out like a sore thumb. Weiss tried to suppress it, especially given her common lifestyle and meager earnings as a huntress. Old habits were hard to break though, and there were still hints of the old Weiss that went to war with the new one.

“If I may, it’s not a bad thing to care about Ace, is it?”

“No…” Weiss conceded, another gulp of tea settling her nerves. “It’s not.”

“So, why do you seem troubled about it?” Pyrrha asked gently.

“Strangely, I’m not.” Weiss said with a tiny smile, her gaze slipping down passed the counter for a moment. “I’m exhausted. Truthfully, I think we bit off more than we can chew.”

“Hmm.” Pyrrha nodded quietly.

“Ace doesn’t listen very well. The family resemblance is there in spades. She’s an active learner, not a passive one.” The one single fact proved difficult when Weiss expected her demands to be met. “I wish I could say I was surprised about that, but I’m not. I suppose I should just be thankful Ace can’t set fire to the house when she starts screeching.”

“Not yet.”

“Not ever…” Weiss balked, tucking her chin into her palm. “If her semblance is even half as explosive as Yang’s I’m buying a bomb shelter and never leaving.” Pyrrha’s snickering aside, Weiss glanced down to the young Faunus who hadn’t left her sight all morning. “If I seem bothered by something, it’s only the realization that even with four of us, we’re barely able to pull off this entire fiasco.”

“You make do with what you have.” Pyrrha noted topping off her friend’s cup of tea. The action was slow and measured. “No one can fault you for that.”

“If you look at the four of us, and we paint a mottled picture that crumbles under scrutiny.” Weiss bent down out of sight for a moment, coming up with a paperclip between her fingers. Ace mewling in protest. “No, Ace, this is not for children.” Weiss sighed, setting the paperclip just in front of Pyrrha. “Case in point…”

[Mine] The angry toddler fussed.

"No." Weiss shot back firmly.

Tiny ears flatted backwards. [Mine!] She yowled louder.

"Ace!" Weiss said, voiced raised just enough to get her point. it was only after she ad the little girl's attention that her voice lowered to a softer level. "I said no." Edging the paper ball with her foot, she pushed it back towards the little Faunus before turning her attention back to Pyrrha. "See what I mean?"

Pyrrha bit her lip, weighing propriety with concern. “Is she really that hard to take care of?”

“Ace is a busy child, always on the move.” Weiss told her. “I’m not saying we’re all completely inept. I’d like to think we’re far from it. The matter's complicated.”

“How so?”

Weiss shrugged simply. “One might also say that when it comes to our individual capabilities, none of us are exactly parent material.” The tea helped to make the news less disheartening. A simple sip and a glance to Ace made it seem so silly in retrospect. “Yang once asked me if raising her was the right thing to do. At the time, I thought the matter obvious. Now, I’m not so sure.”

“Can I ask why?”

“It’s not one single thing. It’s just the facts of our upbringing, together, make something of a mess.” Weiss began, painting a rather large target upon herself to start off. “I know nothing of a warm family home. I understand the principle, but the experience eludes me.”

“Ah, and you find that to be a hindrance.”

“Yes, precisely.” Weiss nodded. “On the other side of that very same coin, Yang fluctuates too much for any sort of consistency. She tries her best, we all do. She struggles with temperance, and according to every book I’ve read on the topic, temperance and consistency are two things children need the most of.”

“Our fathers are not temperate people, yours least of all.”

"Yes, I know. My father, if I can even call him that anymore, is the last person I'd ever want to emulate." Weiss told her. "Yours on the other hand..."

"He has his moments too, I swear by that." Pyrrha pointed out. Her successes was born of exceedingly high expectation. Her father has wanted nothing less for her. “My father can still work himself into a foul mood at the drop of a hat. He simply chose never to take that mood out on others if he could avoid it. He was still a wonderful father, just as Yang’s a wonderful sister."

“Consistency then, at the very least. That is lacking where it shouldn't be.” Weiss told her. “Or so goes the theory. I'm not quite sure what all those parenting books have done to truly help the matter. I'm still at a loss more often than not.”

“That does sound rather difficult.” Pyrrha hummed, thinking on that. Her dealings with small children wasn’t nearly as vast as Jaune’s own, and her view on the topic was stunted as a result. She took a peek around the counter. Ace blinking up at her before edging closer the pale leg beside her. As though Weiss would protect her. Slowly her ears started to lower as a stare down began.

[Mine.] Ace growled, clutching the little ball of paper to her chest as though it would be taken from her.

“Ace, stop that.” Weiss warned, though the threat of retribution ran empty as Pyrrha laughed anew. “See what I mean?” Weiss trailed off, shaking her head gently to rid herself of the mental fog. Her worries often put a cloud upon her. “Blake’s the most clinical, explaining away strange mannerisms as Faunus habit. Most of the time, she says Ace will grow out of it. That’s fine, they probably are harmless little habits. The problem is, trying to contend with Ace is near impossible right now. She’s too animal-like in nature for a human to grapple with.”

“Now that you mention it, she does seem much more like an apex predator than a child.” Pyrrha had never been bitten by the small teeth, and for all of Ace’s animal-like habits, she was also a very unsure of what to think of others. Very quick to hide behind her caregivers the moment something strange and new frightened her. “Though, I did notice that you didn’t mention Ruby in that analysis of yours.”

Weiss set down her mug. “Well, that’s because Ruby’s not afraid to retaliate against those little claws and teeth. Where Yang’s afraid to hurt Ace, and I refuse physical violence on all measures if it can be avoided, Ruby’s not so reserved about it. She just flicks Ace on the nose and goes on with her day, as if she didn’t just send a small child away screeching.”

“That’s...” It forced Pyrrha to take pause. “That’s shocking, truly.”

“For Ruby, or for Ace?” Weiss returned, seeing those stunningly green eyes try to come to grips with the little truths that had presented themselves in spades at the RWBY household.

“Well, that is the question, now isn’t it?” Pyrrha surmised, bashfully admitting her own defeat on the subject. “I merely assumed Ruby was more nurturing. She’s light hearted enough. It surprises me she’d be heavy handed about anything that doesn’t directly involve Grimm.”

“Ruby can be very nurturing too, don’t get me wrong. She’s just tougher on Ace over all, I think.” Weiss agreed. “I think she’s doing what she assumes her father and uncle might do. Neither one of them tend to be subtle. Doting and loving in their own way, certainly, but that doesn’t exactly equate to normal.”

“No.” Pyrrha agreed. “Perhaps it doesn’t, but does that seem to stop Ace from making trouble?”

“Not yet, but Blake is equally heavy handed. Ace doesn’t seem to be intimidated by their rough handling, so maybe there’s something to all of this. If there is, I certainly don’t understand it. It may simply be the way things shall be.”

Pyrrha nodded, looking at the clock mounter on the wall. "Ren should be waking up soon. Why not stay for breakfast?"


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: added moment between Weiss and Ruby. The scene with Blake and Ruby has been repurposed to achieve a better fitting narrative. You get a Saturday update because the chapter is short that it shouldn’t take the place of a Thursday post.
> 
> Original chapter length: 2,323  
Revisited chapter length: 1,277
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 18**

“Okay, that about does it.” Ruby replied shutting the door to the filing cabinet and locking it with a small silver key. “We now have everyone’s admission papers filed away with your own.”

“Good, now all we need to do is wait for Coco to send us our room number.” Weiss replied, weighing several small vials of dust carefully.

Ruby nodded, scratching the back of her head slowly as she glanced about. “So, do you think that will happen any time soon?”

“I would assume so, yes.”

“And then when that happens you’ll be gone for a whole week?”

“Yes, that typically tends to be the protocol.”

“You’re going to be roommates with Jaune, you know that right?”

“Yes…”

“You’re going to like it better there than you do here, aren’t you?”

Sighing at length, Weiss looked up from her work. Prying the goggles away from her face she’s leveled her gaze onto her friend. “Ruby, I have no idea how you could have come to that conclusion. However, that has got to be one of the most idiotic things I’ve ever heard.”

“You’re coming back here on your time off, right?”

“I refuse to dignify your paranoia with an answer, Ruby Rose.” Weiss told her sharply, her hand raising up to rub her eyes in annoyance. She paused, looking at the soft sparkles of dust glittering in the light before sighing and dropping her hands back down onto the table. “Taking inventory of our dust supplies isn’t an easy tasks. If you keep distracting me, I won’t have accurate measurements.”

“Sorry…” Ruby murmured under her breath, thoroughly chastised.

“Never mind, just top worrying so much. Now, I really need to get this done.” Fixing the goggles back onto her eyes she waved Ruby away. “Shoo. Go bother Blake or something. Maybe she can talk this foolishness ut of you.”

It was a typical evening in the team RWBY household.

Yang had snuck off to her room for some alone time. A sock resting on the door handle indicated that she was relaxing. Should anyone go barging in, they might see something they’d rather not witness. Sock rules were an unspoken, but well-loved mandate between both Blake and Yang. A tradition that had carried over from Beacon.

If the sock was on the door, the rest of the team entered at their own risk.

Yang was not shy about her thoughts on self-love, choosing to pleasure herself if she found the time. Blake was the same. She had more books of an erotic nature than one might deem necessary, many of them dog-eared to her favorite lustful scenes. The sock on the door handle was a common sight. So common in fact, that Ruby ignored it completely. She willfully chose to forget the fact that her sister was most likely masturbating to some new porn video across the hall.

Instead, she made her way to the living room, sipping on a mug of hot chocolate and yawning into her hand.

Idly, Ruby considered herself lucky. She didn’t have to worry about seeing anything lewd with Weiss as a roommate. The sock rule was the least of her worries when it came to the prim and proper ex-heiress. Ruby was sure Weiss wasn’t in the least bit innocent, but she was much more discrete about her habits than the others in the house. It was with this passing thought in mind that the token wallflower of team RWBY curled up in the nearest armchair, enjoying the antics occurring in front of her.

Blake was laying across the floor as some children’s movie flickered on the television. She wasn’t paying attention to it, but, it was better than leaving the news on. Her golden eyed gaze was on her book. She had propped it up against a few pillows so that both of her hands were free. With one ear flicking, she listened for the sounds of the tiny little hunter who was far too excited about her next pounce to keep entirely silent.

[Kin!] Ace chirruped as she lunged, Blake rolled to the side, hearing the thump of hands and feet landing on the wood.

Blake regarded the child with another flick of her ear, cocking her head to the side. Her expression one of simple curiosity. [What do you want?]

Instead of running off to hide again, however, Ace hopped on top of her keeper in an impromptu attack. Blake batted the little girl off and back onto the floor, one palm lying flat on her belly to hold her in place. Content that Ace would be trying to worm her way out for a while, she went back to reading.

“Still a little ball of hyper activity, huh?” Ruby said, humor dancing in her voice.

“Yeah.” Blake said as Ace nipped Blake's thumb gently. The older Faunus released her, and Ace got away once again. The little girl chose to hide behind the table as if she couldn’t be seen. “Is all of the paperwork filed away?”

“Yep, it’s in the cabinet that we keep in the closet.” Ruby told her stifling another yawn. “As I finished that, Weiss started doing inventory on our dust supplies.”

“How is it?”

“Low…”

“Ah…” Blake trailed off. “So, everything’s a done deal then?”

“I guess so. They’ll be leaving in a few days. Everything’s finished on our end. Weiss says that CFVY just needs to get the room assignment sorted out.”

Blake nodded, turning the page in her book. “And did you get any rest at all today? You have a mission in three hours.”

“No, but that’s fine.”

“You’re going to overdo it, Ruby.”

“It’s really not a big deal.” Ruby told her, hiding behind her mug as amber eyes flicked to her skeptically. “Well it’s not…”

“If you say so.” Blake murmured, dodging another pounce from Ace. “What did Oobleck want from you, anyway?”

“We’re going to be chipping Beowolves for migratory patterns. It shouldn’t take too long, unless he talks more than he shoots.” Ruby admitted, her mind on her scythe. “I have repairs to do once Weiss finishes inventory. I have a bad feeling we’ll need to order more red dust soon, she keeps muttering about it.”

“Great.” Blake groused, turning the page slowly again. “There’s another couple hundred lien flying out of the household funds.”

“Yep, but what can you do? We’d be worthless without ammunition.” Ruby told her with a small shrug. “I’ve also signed up for clearing out a few nest. Nora and Ren needed a sniper since Pyrrha can’t do it. She’ll probably stationed at the Vale wall by then. You’ll probably have to take Ace with you to the soup kitchen.”

“Is that really a good idea?” Blake asked.

“She’d end up going anyway because I’d have to end up taking her. Weiss and Yang are going to be gone by then. If we don’t take her, one of us would need to stay home.”

“Yeah, but those kitchens are on a bad side of town.” Blake said then, looking at her exhausted friend. She only narrowly dodged the small Faunus who pounced this time, but didn’t miss the way Ace climbed into her back and started gnawing on her ears. It was only playing, but it did hurt, and Blake shook her head in protest harder than she’d meant to, sending Ace toppling over.

[No! That Hurt!] She snarled over her shoulder in warning as Ace scampered away behind Ruby’s chair for protection.

[Kin…] Ace mewed sadly from behind her chair, looking up at Ruby with big sad eyes.

“See, that’s what happens when you bite people.” Ruby said unflinchingly, though she reached down to pat the girl on the head anyway.

Blake could only look at the sight with agitation at the edges of her features. Her ear flicking to ward away the discomfort of being tugged on. "Ruby… I don’t know if I like the idea of taking Ace down there.”

“I don’t think it’s a big deal. Lots of homeless children show up during the day. She’ll have plenty of kids to play with.”

Blake’s pushed herself up a bit. “Yeah, but, they don’t have a choice. It’s a completely different situation.”

Ruby only shook her head as Ace nuzzled into her palm. “Technically we don’t have much of a choice either. If we want to make sure meals get doled out correctly we’re both going to need to be down there helping…”

“Right, but, are you sure about taking her?” Blake asked. “You know the sorts of Faunus that end up there. It’s…” Blake licked her lips. “A different world…”

“Nora’s going to come down with me after we’re done. We’ll be there for the first dinner rush.” Ruby said, bending over to scoop Ace up from the floor before the diminutive little Faunus could get into any more trouble. Attention diverted, Ace reached for Ruby’s mug. The effort failing as Ruby ignored the request and kept the hot liquid away from little hands. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem. I know that you stay late, but Nora will be with me for the walk back. No one would be stupid enough to start any trouble.”

“Alright, if you’re absolutely sure that you’re okay with that.” Blake said. “I don’t want to make you feel like it’s an obligation or anything…”

“You’re not, but, it still is an obligation.” Ruby said quietly, watching as Ace played with the log black fabric of her shirt sleeve, putting little rips and tears in the fabric where there previously were none. “We’re huntresses, and it’s what we do, right?”

Blake nodded slowly, sitting upright and closing her book. “Right.” She said softly, a smile playing across her face.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: The scene with Ruby and Ace is longer this time around. More detail has been given to Ace as a character.
> 
> Additional Note: Don’t worry, you still get your regular Thursday post. I just wanted to take the time to announce that the first of my RWBY Tuesday blog posts just went out. RWBY Tuesday will be a long-running retrospective covering RWBY as a series. Today I look back on the RWBY Red Trailer. You should check it out. Just copy and paste this link into your web browser: https://insufferablefirecrackersinsufferablesworld.wordpress.com/category/rwby/rwby-tuesday/
> 
> Original chapter length: 2,609  
Revisited chapter length: 1,310

**Chapter 19**

Departure day came quickly.

For Ruby, standing on the front stoop and wishing Weiss and Yang a good week away called back old memories. She tried not to dwell on it, but, the concept was no different than it had been in her childhood. There was once a time when her father spent all of his time drowning in his work teaching students.

Those days were foggy now, aged and worn like a used photograph.

Vaguely, she could recall waiting for him. During the school year he only came home on weekends. Entering the household very late on Friday nights when his daughters should have been asleep. He would leave on Sunday, just after dinner. That was one of the many reasons Ruby recalled staying with their uncle in Vale when she was small. It was closer to the school, and thus, closer to her father. It was easier for him to make the commute nightly to the apartment. He could make the trip faster than crossing the water to get to Patch.

As a child, she had never seen a fault with his actions. She had been too young to think poorly of him. Her starry-eyed impression of huntsmen outweighed any concept of abandonment. She never thought that he was prioritizing his work over his children. It never occurred to her to feel anything other than admiration.

Then again, the same could have been said about her uncle. That face value trust was occasionally misplaced, but, she didn’t know it then.

Now, she knew that they were simply men. The titles they wore proudly only carried them so far, and it didn’t save them from themselves. They were not the perfect image of huntsmen to be idolized. Instead, they were the warning of what would happen if everything went wrong. Loss defined them in more ways than one.

They would never be flawless, no one would.

Watching Weiss and Yang leave the house was easier than Ruby wanted it to be. The list of justifications, while short, stood on their own merits better than she thought they would.

Yang was doing what she felt she had to do. Weiss was simply clinging to the facts as they came to her. That was the extent of the entire situation. It was no more complicated than that. The choices they made were not unlike the same choices made by Taiyang and Qrow. History ruthlessly went on repeat.

The ambitions were noble, at least, on the surface.

Inwardly, she wondered if Ace conceptualized any of that. If Ace really understood that goodbye meant more now than it had ever meant before. A week was an eternity to child, and she remembered that well.

[Out.] Ace mewled, her small palms slapping upon the wooden door.

“What’s wrong Ace?” Ruby asked calmly.

Ace only looked at her before plopping down onto her behind. Ear flicking and with a small scowl she mewed unhappily. [Out.]

Ruby just sighed.

If understood anything about Yang at all, it was that she jumped headlong into solutions as they came. Working the wall was one was an answer to a huge problem, and Yang was grasping for it like a starving man did a dinner plate. That didn’t stop the house from feeling empty, though.

Yang and Weiss had only been gone a day, but Ruby noticed their absence in the little details. A few of the books Weiss kept above the fireplace were gone now. Yang had taken a few of the picture frames off the mantle. They both had raided the kitchen, taking their favorite snacks. The fact that there was no longer any beer in the fridge, or wine for that matter. All of it had been disposed of, or drunken before they left.

It was the silence she noticed next.

The lack of her sister bellowing across the house in her usual fashion, playing music, or watching something obscene on television. Yang’s racket was easy to miss. Weiss had always been more reserved, but even she had her own distinct noise, albeit more subdued. Ace noticed the changes as well, if her occasional glances at the door were any indication.

[Out.] She mewed again as she sat by the front door.

“What, do you want to go outside?” Ruby asked softly. "Not yet. You have to wait."

Ace just gave her a look as though the older woman was completely stupid. [Out.]

“No, not right now.” Ruby said before sipping a glass of water. “Come here.” She said, patting her leg invitingly.

[Out.] Ace mewed again insistently, giving the older woman a confused glance when her demands weren’t met. She stood up and reached for the door handle even though she couldn’t quite touch the lock. When that failed, she started meowing again. [Kin. Out.]

“No, Ace we can’t leave yet.”

Ruby watched as the little girl ran over to the square ring of papers that hung up on the wall. Today was a Saturday, not that Ace knew that, but the sheet of paper was colored green. Green paper meant going to the park. Ace noticed that color.

[Out.] She mewed at the calendar before running back to the window to wait some more.

It was the first time in her life that Ruby cursed the colored pages hanging on the wall.

There was no Yang, and thus, no park. Ruby sighed, taking her now empty glass into the kitchen. She thought Ace might follow her, but the little Faunus stayed put. Ruby could only watch helplessly, leaning heavily on the wall. She had been hoping, praying, that Ace wouldn’t notice.

Pulling out her scroll she looked at the clock. Yang and Weiss were probably still settling in before orientation. They started officially working Monday.

“Ace.” Ruby called, pulling the little girl’s attention. “No, not right now. Yang’s working.”

[Out…] Little ears flattened back, and a whine protruded from her throat as she looked back towards the window. The word ‘no’ always seemed to be a bad thing.

“Ace, come here.” Ruby said, as she pulled the stairs down to the attic. “I want to show you something.”

She cocked her head to the side, her left ear flicking, and a mew forming the question she was still too little to ask with words. She looked back to the window once more, as though she might miss something if she were to leave her place. Little claws dug into the wood as she fought to pull herself up, sitting in the open space near a lone cactus plant.

[Kin!] She mewled loudly, as if Yang could somehow hear her. [Kin! Out!]

“Ace, come here if you want to see Yang.” Ruby said, bending over and patting her legs. She watched as Ace looked torn between following her, and waiting for Yang. The decision seemed to be a hard one for the small child. “Come on Ace…”

Curiosity won out.

Slowly, she made her way over to Ruby, letting the woman pick her up. Ruby carried her up the steep ladder in to the very top of the house. The floors were rickety. The room was dusty. The ceiling was so low even Weiss was at risk of bumping her head on it in a few places. Ruby put a palm over the little girl’s head. Fingers softly pushing against the kitten-like ears, keeping the dust and cobwebs out.

“See that big wall over there in the distance?” Ruby, said, pointing over to it. From this far away, it looked small, but Ruby knew better. “That’s where she is.”

Ace cocked her head to the side, ear flicking against Ruby’s palm. [Out] She fussed, palms slapping on the window as a black bird fluttered by.

"Do you miss Yang?" Ruby said. “She’s working really hard so that you can be safe and warm. She'll come back in a little while.”

[Kin…] Ace made another discontented and somewhat confused sound. [Out.]

Ruby only shook her head. “I know you don’t understand, but Yang’s working.” Ruby sighed sadly. “If you want to go to the park, we have to wait for Blake to get back from the dust shop first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you guys on Thursday. Really though, check out the blog if you want more RWBY content than what you can find here. That stuff has better editing quality than my fan-fiction, that's for sure.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: This chapter contains one old scene that has been fixed up a bit. It also contains one completely new scene. Plenty of new content will be coming in the following chapters, hope you like it.
> 
> Original chapter length: 1,620  
Revisited chapter length: 2,177
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 20**

The adjustment wasn't just hard for Ace, wasn’t any easier on Yang either. Their room seemed cold and lifeless, lacking any of the comforts of home.

After an entire day stuck in assessment meetings, she felt more than a little crabby. She flopped down onto her bed, groaning when her head hit the pillow. The rectangular room housed eight hunters. The beds were carved into the walls. Four on one side, four on the other, a slender twin mattress and pillow were the only issued comforts. Beside each sleeping space a square nook protected their personal belongings.

The only allotted common area rested in the middle of the room. A few sofa's sat back to back, a television was mounted in the far corner, and a table stood in the center. Four chairs gathered around it. There was a singular desk against each wall, but for all of that, the space was lonesome.

"Well, this place isn’t anything like Beacon, I'll say that much." Yang observed.

“Did you expect it to be?” Weiss asked as continued to acclimate to her own small space.

“Yeah, kind of…” Yang muttered, ducking low to put away some of her things that were still laying on her bed. “Don’t you think it’s kind of...” She trailed off, looking around again. “I dunno, sterile in here?”

“I’d call it functional.” Weiss said after a moment’s consideration. “Though I think after ours shifts we’ll be too exhausted to care.”

“There’s that I guess.” Yang said, rubbing a sore spot on the top of her head. The ill-begotten alcove wasn’t made for tall people in mind. “They could have made the beds bigger, though. I feel bad for Yatsuhashi, the guy’s going to be crammed in his bunk like a sardine. Me too, for that matter.” She would have to be careful when sitting up so as not to smash her head on the brick above.

All of her roommates faced the same problem, though, so she couldn't complain too much. She had claimed the top bunk to save Weiss the hassle. It was a fruitless effort. Upon inspection, Yang realized that almost all of the problems that came from the top bunk also occurred down below. “I did think it would be a little more like Beacon, at least. More homey, or something.”

“Well, you’ll have to amend your expectations quickly then.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

“It isn’t like we’ll be living here all the time. We do have a home to go back to.” Weiss told her, looking around a little more. The space was a little cold, perhaps, but at least it was tidy. “To be honest, this is actually better than I thought it would be.”

“You must have had pretty low standards from the start, then.” Yang grumbled as she found a new issue. Getting up and down with the provided ladder wasn’t an easy task for a person as large as herself.

“I chose not to set my expectations too high. If beacon taught me anything, Yang, it was that I shouldn’t look down my nose at something until I’ve acclimated accordingly.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Yang sighed. ”It’s not like back then, though.” Another drastic change, was that they'd be rooming with several men. Weiss claimed she didn't care, but Yang thought it prudent to ask again. "So, you're sure about this whole three dudes in the room, thing?"

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Weiss asked her.

“Cause, dudes…” Yang shot back. “There’s not a whole lot of privacy.”

“The bathrooms and housing were co-ed at Beacon too.”

“Not the showers.”

“Did you even read the pamphlet they gave you? The showers aren’t co-ed here, either.” Weiss told her. “Just because I grew used to a team of women doesn’t mean I can’t adapt.”

“Alrighty then…” Yang trailed off in disbelief.

At this Weiss merely rolled her eyes, sighing at length. "Fox is blind, Jaune is completely harmless, and as for Yatsuhashi?" Weiss shook her head, a soft laugh escaping her lips. "He has more decorum than to be peeping at anything he shouldn't be. As I told you before, I don't mind sharing a room with men who conduct themselves properly. If I did, I wouldn’t have even become a huntress in the first place."

"Uh-uh, and as for the suction cups you're sticking on our area?" Yang asked, but Weiss ignored her.

Instead, she finished her project, attaching two bars that stuck outward to the cups. She then tied clothesline around that, draping a dark blue sheet over her finished work. "There, see?" Weiss replied simply. "A privacy screen. Just pull this suction cup here, and put it on the side with the other one to open the area back up when it isn't in use."

"I knew ordering you that subscription to Hunter's Weekly was a bad idea." Yang said with a smirk. "No telling what cracked out ideas you got from those things."

"Any worse than Ruby's schemes?" Weiss retorted as she sat down in the open chair nearest her bed.

"No..." Yang said as she scanned the room. "I guess not." It was still pretty lifeless in her opinion. Then again, it wasn't as if they could add too many personal touches. Other teams would end up using the space. They had to keep it tidy. "It's weird, I thought that orders around here would be more organized. Instead, the guy at orientation said that we get messages on our scrolls."

"Is that some sort of a problem?" Weiss asked.

Yang just shrugged thoughtfully. "The way you described it, I thought it would be more…well, strict."

"We slay Grimm for a living." Weiss pointed out. "So long as we keep the outside area clear from Grimm, our position here is more just for show than anything else. We keep the bandits away, and the crime down. Most of our work comes in the form of community services, but I think that's just to boost the morale of the people."

"Probably." Yang said, though she still wasn’t fond of it. "We do have police radios though, and given our field training we know basic medicine. Wouldn't be surprised if we end up as backup." She shoved it out of her mind. "I'd rather sling slop in the kitchen, or babysit a few rookies...but can't have it all, right?"

"I suppose not." Weiss agreed. "Well now that I'm settled in, I'm going to explore the facilities. Do you want to come with me?"

"Na." Yang said, grabbing her scroll. "Think I'm going to call Ruby, and check in."

Weiss paused, studying the blonde before nodding. "Suit yourself, but come down to the cafeteria later. We really should eat with our new team."

"It's that cut and dry for you, huh?" Yang bit out. “So easily replaceable…”

"Don't be a blockhead.” Weiss said with a roll of her eyes. “That isn't what I meant and you know it. These are our friends, too. Don’t forget that.”

“I’m not. I just… You know.”

“Indeed.” Weiss replied coolly for a lack of anything comforting to say. She knew that Yang wasn’t in the mood to be coddled. “I’ll be expecting you at supper. If you don't come down to eat, I'll drag you down…"

* * *

Yang came down to join Weiss for dinner reluctantly. Some of their roommates hadn’t escaped their orientation briefings yet. Even so, there were two familiar faces sitting at the table. Coco busied herself with buttering a steaming dinner roll. Velvet seemed plenty pleased with her salad. Weiss sat down to dig into her meal without complaint.

"What's got you looking so sour?" Weiss asked, feeling a small heat that could only come from Yang's semblance.

"It's Saturday..."

"So?"

"I usually take Ace to the park on Saturday." Yang explained, a frown on her face as she sighed. "Ruby said that ace noticed I wasn't there to take her. She was mewling at the windows for hours looking for me." Refusing to focus too much on the negative she cut into the square cut of fish on her face. She regretted putting it into her mouth almost instantly.“Yep, just as I thought. The food tastes like crap.” Yang said when the single bite of the fish left something to be desired. ”Bake probably wouldn’t eat this junk.” She observed distastefully as she left her utensils off to the side.

“You’ll get used to it.” Weiss replied, continuing to slice into her meal. “We’ve had worse MRE’s on the road.”

“You say that, but I don’t even know what this red canned stuff on the side is…” Yang said, jiggling the sludge back and forth.

Crystal blue eyes narrowed as Weiss gave Yang a dry look. “Those are pickled beets, you dunce.”

“Yeah, well couldn’t prove it by me. It looks like someone beat the shit out of it…”

Coco merely chuckled when Yang grimaced. “Visiting huntsmen have come from the north. They rotate dishes a lot around here to help people feel more at home.”

“Either that or scare them away from Vale as fast as possible.” Yang shot back, stabbing her fish and offering it to Coco. “You want it, it’s yours.”

“Atlesian cuisine takes some getting used to.” Coco told Yang with a mild shrug, taking the allotment of fish. “Here, try this. You’ll probably like it better.” She passed Yang a large bowl of vegetable soup for her trouble.

“If it makes you feel any better, the visitors from Atlas say the same about Vale’s regional food.” Velvet went on to say. “It isn’t something they’re well accustomed to.”

“Really? I never heard Weiss complain.” Yang said, taking a spoonful of the soup into her mouth. “Huh, not bad. Well, at least the soup isn’t horrible…”

“I’ve never complained because I was raised with a silver spoon in my mouth. My diet spanned the globe.” Weiss told her. “I knew what to expect when I came to Vale.”

“Right, so why the fish exactly?” Yang asked, grabbing a dinner roll and ripping it open to sop in the broth. “That thing didn’t come from anywhere around here. I know that much. It tasted oily.”

“It’s an atlesian salmon.” Velvet told her. “Some people call it a delicacy. I don’t care much for it either.”

“The truth is, Atlas isn’t hospitable to a wide variety of livestock.” Weiss went on to say. “Beef, pork, and chicken come at a high price. Fresh fruits and vegetables also don’t come cheaply. The rich import their goods at a premium so that they can show off their status.”

“Yeah, sounds about right.” Yang replied while poking at her soup. “Your dad does seem to like the limelight.”

“Anything for good publicity.” Weiss agreed. “Besides, if I were to complain about the quality of my meals, I’d have to do it constantly. I was raised with a five star chief on call during every hour, of every day. Nothing compares to having a chief that knows exactly what I want, and precisely how I wanted it to be prepared. Even then, it wasn’t until Beacon that I was able to eat fresh fruit at a mere whim.”

“No fresh fruit… like at all?”

“Well, there are berries in the north.” Velvet interjected. “Most produce tends to be rare, though.”

“Our household kept fruit rarely, when the shipments came in on time.” Weiss told her. “My father would import all of his quality goods. The Grimm and White Fang made matters difficult on more than one occasion. It wasn’t just dust that they’d steal. Our family’s supply orders would often go missing. He'd be in a very foul moos when they did.”

Yang let out a small sigh, her spoon poking at a floating carrot. “Food is one of life’s simplest joys. If I couldn’t have fresh fruit, I’d go crazy…”

“We have a few that are native to Atlas, but there’s only so much you can grow in a cold climate.” Weiss nodded. “It’s the same with meat. Fish and oxen prices change depending on the year. Bad weather and Grimm infestations can change migration patterns. Commoners don’t always have the luxury to eat fresh food whenever they please.”

“Then what do they eat?” Yang asked her.

“Plenty.” Weiss told her. “Now eat your soup before it grows cold.”

“It changes based on the season.” Coco said with a soft laugh watching as Yang did as Weiss told her. “Curing and canning is pretty popular. Foods keep longer that way, but there’s always plenty to eat. You just have to get creative.”

“Sounds like I’d go nuts.” Yang murmured. "Oh man, what I wouldn't give for a beef burger right about now."

“It isn’t so bad.” Velvet replied, nibbling on a bright red radish. “Usually commoners eat fish if they can afford it, but beans are plenty nutritious if they can’t. Canned food tends to be cheaper than fresh, and Coco’s right. It keeps better too. Soups, stews, and oats round out a poor family’s diet. Nothing goes to waste in Atlas, even the wealthy find a use for everything.”

"Well, when I lived at the mansion, we had no choice but to use everything at our disposal." Weiss told them while looking down at her own meal. The fish brought back fond memories. "A good cook leaves nothing to waste, mind you. Some of his stocks were the talk of our galas, although my favorite soup came from a can, believe it or not."

"You ate canned soup?" Coco rose an eyebrow, fixing her gaze on the shortest among them. "Can't believe daddy Schnee was too fond of that."

"He had no idea. He would have be put into a fit of rage if he had known about it. Our butler used to give me commoners food when my father wasn't looking. This included a soup brand right of the supermarket shelves." A scroll buzzed loudly against the table, the four women looking down at the blinking screen as Weiss picked it up. “Ah, it seems Pyrrha and Jaune have finally finished their introductory meetings.”

“Finally, saved by the scroll.” Yang said standing from her seat. “I’m going to go meet up with them. Catch you guys back at the room.”

“Yang, for the love of god, just eat your soup…”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: Completely new scenes have been added. I hope you like it. The reason there was no update last week was due to thanksgiving festivities.
> 
> Original chapter length: 1,602  
Revisited chapter length: 2,178
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 21 **

“Ren, I missed one.” Nora said urgently over the feed of their connected scrolls.

“It’s already in flight.” The man replied a moment later over the sounds of his own gunfire. “Ruby…”

The solver eyed woman searched the skies, licking her lips as she found her target. “I’ve got it.”

A blast of a red dust round fired into the air lading a solid hit on a juvenile nevermore making a flight. Knocking the creature’s wing Ruby fired three more shots in rapid succession, one hitting its head and two burrowing deep into its chest. The Grimm took a nose dive, turning to black ash before it even landed on the ground.

“Nice shot.” Nora laughed.

“Lucky, maybe. I really hate the little ones. They're harder to shoot.” Ruby said under her breath as she shot down another small nevermore.

“Not me, they’re easier to squash.” Nora said, the sound of her hammer making an impact punctuating the statement. “Crap….”

“Only if you can catch them…” Ren told her, the sound of his own gunfire taking down the small bird.

“See!” Nora explained. “See what happens when I don’t put my finger in a light socket before missions?”

“Last time you did that, you took out the power grid for our entire city block.” Ruby told her unhappily. “I’ve never seen Weiss that mad before.”

“She also blew out the windows in our bedroom.” Ren recalled, equally unamused.

“Yeah, but I needed it…” Nora pouted slightly.

“That’s debatable.” Ren simply sighed gently, a fondness lacing his voice. “Anyway, I think that was the last of the flock…”

“We should probably do another perimeter check.” Nora said, the sounds of a bush rattling sent feedback into Ruby's earpiece. “These little buggers hide everywhere when they hatch.”

“Right.” Ren said then.

“The air is clear right now.” Ruby told them from her position. “I’m pretty sure we’ve scared off all the wildlife in the area by now. I doubt there’s any Grimm left, either.”

“Hopefully it stays that way.” Ren said. "If not we'll be out here in a week cleaning up the mess again."

"I'd rather not do that if I can avoid it." Ruby sighed as she adjusted her aim and rolled her shoulders to break up the tension that had built there. The role of a sniper wasn’t one to take idly. It demanded a steady hand and plenty of patience. “Beacon’s getting a huge invoice on these dust rounds.” She murmured under her breath as she counted what was left of her supply.

For several hours, she watched the world through the sight of her scope. Finger brushing ever so gently across the trigger as she waited for retreating Grimm to emerge from the smattering of foliage in the distance. Occasionally she would see blasts of dust and hear the pattering’s of low ballistic gunfire. The loud reverberating sound of Nora’s hammer made a shift in the air as it passed through the trees.

“Nest three is down.” Nora replied into her scroll. “Moving on to nest four.”

Ruby blinked, chancing a moment to get a drink from her canteen before returning to her watchful position in the tree once more. It was her least favorite way to exterminate Grimm. She wanted to be down where the action was. Light on her feet and slaying the beasts with deadly precision.

“Nest four is in the rocky outcropping five clicks northwest.” Ren’s reply followed.

“I’ll have to relocate.” Ruby told then. "There's no easy visual from here."

“You go on ahead, and let us know when you’ve found a new one.” Ren responded a moment later. “Nora and I will catch up.”

“Rodger that.” Ruby replied, affixing her canteen on her hip and her weapon upon her back. Launching herself out of the tree she sped through the forest in record time.

\--

The alley reeked, two huntresses holding their noses as they made their way passed a series of dumpsters and a set of double doors. “You can put your weapon in my locker along with mine. We can’t carry them out into the service room.” Ruby told Nora once they entered the back room of the food kitchen.

“Well, now that I’m here, what do I do?” Nora asked as Ruby pulled down two clean aprons from the shelf next to the door. “I’m not exactly a good cook, you know.”

“You won’t have to cook. We take just have to take care of people. First we put these aprons on, and then since we’re going to be passing around food we need to wash our hands.” Ruby told Nora, giving her one of the white aprons before putting on her own. “We’re not going to be stationed in the kitchen so we don’t need the plastic gloves and hairnets.”

“We don’t?” Nora asked.

“Nope, there should already be wrapped packages, all we need to do is pass those around with a bottle of water.” grabbing to small kits, she handed one to Nora. “Sometimes we give basic first-aid to someone if they need it. There are medical gloves in the kit.”

“First aid?” Nora muttered as she made her way to the sink to scrub up. “What, do they get into a lot of fights?”

“Bar brawls after dark mostly.” Ruby said with a shrug. “A lot of the Faunus fight until they've bused their aura. Most don’t go to doctors, so wounds get infected if they aren’t treated.”

A wave of concern flushed over Nora’s features. “Why would they let injuries get that bad? There’s a clinic is down the road.”

“A lot of the people here are ex-White Fang. Having a criminal history is enough reason to stay out of the medical centers for a lot of them.” Ruby said with a little shrug while also washing her hands. “Some of them probably have rap-sheets a mile long. Anyway, careful of those people. Some of them really don’t like humans…”

It was true that teams RWBY and JNPR had grown somewhat close during their formative years in training, spending plenty of time together in-between classes. It was also true that some friendships ran deeper than others. It was simply the way of things, and nobody thought too deeply about the commonalties that bound the friends together.

Often, Blake never really thought about it at all.

Yet, the Faunus could not deny that Nora was an invaluable friend to keep. Truthfully, she had never really grown an attachment to the hyperactive woman. She was a friend, sure, but she was never Blake’s first choice as a companion. They simply had different interests and preferences that kept them from forming a deeper bond.

She smiled, setting down two plastic boxes onto a nearby the table “Hey you’re earlier than I thought you’d be. Did the mission end well?”

“Better than expected.” Ruby shrugged gently.

“The nests were really small.” Nora added in. “The Grimm weren’t even fully grown get.”

“No but there were a lot of them.” Ruby said taking the top box. “So what’s the allotment today?”

“Everyone gets a sandwich and tomato soup. Every adult receives a bottle of water each. Children get to choose between water or apple juice.” Blake told them, ripping a chunk of ham from the bone it clung to, passing it beneath the counter. “If you two want to get started on the sandwiches and drinks, I can get started on the soup.”

“Sounds good to me.” Nora said happily, grabbing one of the boxes and speeding off towards the first waiting table of Faunus.

“Be careful of the shadows, Nora.” Ruby called after her. “Hey, where’s Ace?”

“Where do you think?” Blake said, tapping the counter. “She found out that if she waits under the counter I let her eat the fatty scraps.”

“Ew…” Ruby said crinkling her nose.

“You don’t know what’s good.” Blake grinned flipping a fatty morsel in the air, catching it in her mouth. “We can’t pass out the fatty edges anyway. Why let it go to waste?”

“You mean besides the fact it’s really bad to eat that stuff?” Ruby asked.

“It isn’t any worse than the junk food you eat?” Blake shrugged, passing Ace another small morsel.

Ruby could only shake her head, failing to hide her amusement. “You win that one. I’m going to go get started.”

Blake watched as Ruby took the box and caught up to Nora on one side of the room.

Blake respected Nora as a huntress. She clung to a noble cause that was not unlike her own. Equally valid, and deeply ingrained into everything that she stood for. Choosing to help protect outlying villages was an effort that should never go ignored. Especially not when help could be difficult to come by. There were some settlements that had difficulty finding aid, and Nora was completely indiscriminant. Any village to seek help was a village worthy of the undertaking.

It didn’t matter the danger, or the impossibility of it all.

Nora had never turned down a job, even when she should have. Out of the goodness in her heart, she ventured to places even Ruby wouldn’t dare. Far from home, help, and sometimes even all hope was lost. With Ren at her side, she would still make the trip. Nora saw more death and darkness than anyone else they knew. Her reasons buried deep, never spoken.

Blake knew that even if little tied them as friends, she could deeply respect that.

As the hours dragged on, Nora and Ruby stood together, dolling out sandwiches to the needy. Blake followed after with hot cups of soup and a bag of complimentary toiletries. Ace followed after them eagerly, looking for handouts that wasn’t hers to receive. Finally, Ruby simply picked her up and carried the girl on her back.

In honesty, Blake was thankful for the fact that Nora thought to volunteer at all. She certainly didn’t have to. This was a Faunus shelter, and as a human Nora had her own people to worry over. Human shelters could be just as overcrowded, if not more so. Many homeless Faunus were criminals, unable to step foot in the establishment for fear of being arrested.

Still, Nora didn’t think that way. Didn’t even consider for a moment that her work in this shelter was misplaced. That she might belong elsewhere. No, she just continued to pass around food and water without even thinking twice.

Homeless White Fang crowded the corners. Most of them were still peaceful, if not weary of the human help passing them by. Still, most humans helping in the shelter didn’t go near the shadows, fearing being hurt or worse. Not Nora though. Like anything else, she flippantly disregarded the warnings to steer clear, even when they came from Ruby.

Ruby wasn’t so fearless.

Blake watched her cautiously approaching a growling man hidden in the darkness. His threat was clear, even if it wasn’t something he would ever dare carry out. He’d be banned from the shelter if he ever harmed a volunteer. Ruby placed his meal in front of him slowly before edging away again. She didn’t dare turn her back until she was well out of reach. It was only then that he glimpsed the little Faunus strapped to her back. Ace happily gnawing on a small hunk of fatty ham to keep her busy.

“I think that’s everyone.” Nora said, returning with an empty box.

“For now.” Ruby told her. “There are usually two dinner rushes. Others will be coming later.”

“So what do we do until then?” Nora asked, looking over at the messy food-station that was being cleaned off by a few other workers.

“You two are done here.” Blake told Nora, taking the empty box from her. “Humans aren’t permitted to be here after dark.”

“Huh, why not?” Nora said sadly.

“It’s just a rule.” Ruby said with a shrug. “I don’t really get it either.”

“It’s to keep everyone safe.” Blake said as the three of them pushed passed the metal doors leading to the back room. Even more volunteers were milling around, preparing more sandwiches and hot soup. “I know it doesn’t look it, but this is a bad part of town.”

“We’ve seen worse, though.” Nora shot back. “I mean, it’s better than down by the docks, right?”

“Hmm.” Blake nodded. “The problem is, there’s no telling how many aggressive White Fang live in these parts. They lay low during the day and come out at night. Tensions are high enough without someone getting hurt. The last thing anyone needs to hear is that a scuffle broke out.”

“I need to take Ace home anyway.” Ruby said, untying her apron and throwing it in the bin to be washed. Then she untied the wrap holding Ace in place, gently setting the girl on the floor. “I don’t want to make the walk home with her in the dark if I don’t have to.”

“Are you sure that there’s nothing else you need help with?” Nora asked, leaning heavily on a crumb covered counter.

“I’m sure, Nora. I'd rather you stay with Ruby. If something happens, she can't exactly defend herself with a baby on her hip.” Blake said with a tiny nod. “Thanks for helping today though. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but just being here matters. The more humans that come to help out, the more Faunus can see that a real community waits for them beyond the criminal acts.”

“Yeah!” She chirped happily as she began to untie her own apron. “No problem. I was glad to help.”

“The sun’s already set behind the clouds.” Blake told them, a hand falling onto Ruby’s shoulder carefully. “Watch yourselves out there.” She murmured, thumb brushing along the fabric of Ruby’s cloak before her hand came free of the fabric. "And call me when you get home."

“We always do.” Ruby told her gently, affixing her weapon to her back and putting Ace onto her hip. "Get home safe. It's going to rain tonight."

"I will." She said, patting Ace on the head before sending them off.

"You better, because I'm going to be waiting up." Ruby said before pushing open the large metals doors.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: Two new scenes, which is why this is so “short”. Other scenes have been moved to a different place in the fiction.  
Original chapter length: 2,143  
Revisited chapter length: 1,522
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 22**

The forecast called for rain, but it was obvious that a storm was working its way closer to Vale. The feeling of the cold front had been undeniable on the way back home. Nora had been excited, planning all the ways she might capture a wayward lightning bolt to store for later. Nora’s exuberance was undeniable. Ruby only wished she could share the same sentiments, but storms were always foreboding when Ace was involved.

Ace was afraid of storms, though Ruby supposed any child would be easily upset by them. It wasn’t just the gusting winds and booming thunder, it was the truths that would lay beyond them.

“That can’t be good.” Ruby murmured to herself, as thick black clouds gathered in the distance. A light flashed on the outskirts of the kingdom, a storm headed their way. Taking a quick walk around the house, she closed up all the windows before watching the storm get closer. Thick drops of rain started to thump against the windows. The rain shower turning more aggressive as the wind kicked up.

Ruby glanced towards the sleeping toddler sprawled out across the floor. She could only hope that Ace wouldn’t wake up. Hefting the sleeping toddler off the floor like a sack of potatoes, she laid her down gently on the sofa. Sitting beside the girl, Ace began to stir restlessly in her dream. Tiny ears flicking as the sound of the wind howling grew louder. Ruby calmly looked outside and rubbed the little girl’s back to soothe her. Occasionally her silver eyes idly glanced to the weather forecast.

In spite of the drone of the television, the house was too quiet.

She could hear the shower running down the hall, Blake working to scrub away the chilly drizzle that had begun to fall on her way home. The sound was soothing until it cut off completely. Another flash in the distance lit up the sky. Ruby turned up the sound on the television a little, in hopes that it would help to keep the storm from waking Ace.

“Looks like a storm’s brewing.” Blake said coming out of the bathroom donning one of her yukatas. Drying her hair with a fluffy green towel, her ears twitched around in search of the storm. “It seems like I just missed the heavy downfall. I guess I was lucky this time, huh?”

“Yeah, I hope that Yang and Weiss aren’t going to be busy tonight.”

“Rain breeds melancholy, and that attracts Grimm.” Blake told her. “It can’t be helped.”

“You don’t think there’s going to be an inbound infestation, do you?” Ruby asked, gazing out the window.

“Hmm, no. It probably won’t be any worse than the usual sorts that come out of hiding…”

“They’re still going to need to clean that mess up, though.”

“That’s part of the job.” Blake told her. “Although, that reminds me that we need to update our bug-out bags.” Blake said, her fingers working the towel a bit more roughly on her scalp as she thought about that. “We should make something for Ace too."

"A backpack would be too heavy..." Ruby told her.

"True, but we could put a fanny pack around her waist with a few basics.”

“At her age?”

“Nothing too heavy, but then at least she’d have one if we ever got separated.” Blake told her with a shrug. “Another layer of redundancy can’t hurt.”

“What were you thinking to put into it?” Ruby asked, glancing over to the sleeping girl as another wave of light cracked across the sky.

“Ideally, we’d never be separated, but I’d want to put a few basics in it just in case.” Blake said after some thought. “Off the top of my head, standard emergency contact numbers, a few non-perishable snacks, a rain poncho, a toy or two. An identity bracelet isn’t a bad idea either.”

“If it makes you feel better…” Ruby trailed off, a frown forming as she thought of ever losing track of Ace for any reason. She banished it from her thoughts as quickly as she could.

“It does, actually.” Blake told Ruby.

"I wish I felt the same." The younger woman admitted. "Just thinking about it sets me on edge."

I've been thinking about it too." Blake said softly. "We set up our bags to function for long-term disasters as a team unit, but now we’re down full bag two carriers. I know that you and I would be fine with our current set-up. I just worry that without the added redundancies that Weiss and Yang carry, Ace might be put at a disadvantage. We need those extra supplies, for her sake.”

“We’ll set something up for her then.” Ruby said. “And re-outfit ours as we’re at it.”

* * *

When it rained, it poured, and Weiss found herself drenched as she made her way to the showers. With a caddy of toiletries in hand, a shiver rolled down her spine. Several team members trailed behind her, all of them headed for the bathrooms. The men turned down a narrow stretch of hallway and into the men’s showers, while the women went to their own on the opposite path.

“That was ridiculous.” Weiss complained giving her hair yet another gentle squeeze upon the tiled floor. The water falling into the drain below. “I certainly hope Velvet and Fox can manage the rest of the shift on their own.”

“Me too.” Pyrrha spoke out. “I’d hate to have to go back out in that. It might have been best for one of us to have stayed behind, though.”

“You’d just get in the way.” Coco said, shucking off her sopping wet clothes and making a beeline for the first open shower she came to. “Now that we’ve cleared the Grimm, all they need to do is keep watch.”

“Not that Fox can actually see anything…” Yang said, in a race for the next shower, beating Weiss to it.

“He has his ways of dealing with that.” Coco called out over the spray of the hot water. “I wouldn’t worry about them. Fox doesn’t need daylight, and Velvet can certainly handle herself.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Weiss replied, steam rising out if her stall in large plumes as she sighed. “I do think Pyrrha’s right though. I should have stayed behind to offer backup.”

“Your Aura has already taking enough of a beating Weiss.” Yang shot out. “Ruby would kill me if I let you catch a cold.”

“She’s right. Besides, you’ll be more useful at first light, like the rest of us.” Coco told her.

“It doesn’t help that most of your dust is completely useless if it can’t get a spark.” Pyrrha added unhappily. “I was surprised you were even able to do battle in that sort of downpour.”

“It wasn’t easy, visibility was too low for me to try any dust that might have left lingering residue.” Weiss sighed, the sound of her shampoo bottle clicking open echoed in the large room. “I hate fighting things in the dark.”

“Which is why we shouldn’t get in Velvet’s way.” Coco replied before turning the water in her stall off. “Her semblance is particular, and once she starts fighting, stopping isn’t exactly her best option. The best thing we can do now is get a few hours of sleep before our actual shift starts. Finish up, dry your hair and hit the sack. If we’re lucking we can get a solid five hours of uninterrupted rest.”

“Yeah right.” Yang barked out. “Good luck with that.”

Coco toweled herself off. Dressing in dry clean pajamas before exiting the area and heading off back to her room just down the hall. The rest of them finished their showers, a heavy silence looming over them as the water in Yang’s stall slammed off next.

“There’s no way I’m falling asleep right now, I’m hitting the gym…” She groused out, still full of energy from the fight. Her semblance burning hot as her temper flared. Her hair drying almost instantly due to the raw heat sizzling from her body.

“Is she alright?” Pyrrha asked after Yang dressed and left the room.

“No, but I think she will be." Weiss said after a moment.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"She just needs time to adjust to the new arrangements.” Weiss spoke out, her own shower concluding with the clicking of her supplies and the water gentling to silence. The sounds of fabric covering her form and the padding of her feet across the tiled room cut the peaceful quiet between them. “We haven’t lived this way since our academy days. When Yang became a huntress, this wasn’t what she had in mind.”

“Did you ever consider an assignment like this before?” Pyrrha asked.

“The thought occurred to me, but then, that can’t be much of a surprise given my upbringing.” Weiss told her. “If I had stayed in Atlas, I would have been absorbed into the military to work alongside my sister. I can’t say that a wall assignment would ever be my first option. We just didn’t have much of a choice, given the circumstances. It was either this, or beginning to accept missions that were far more dangerous. I think the right choice was obvious.”

“I’m sure.” Pyrrha told her, finally stepping out of her own stall to see Weiss already sitting by the lockers wrapped in towels as she sorted her things. “Even so, I feel bad for Yang. I wish it could be easier for her.”

“Me too, Pyrrha.” Weiss sighed then, feeling that the sentiment bore repeating. “Me too.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYangThang: As of this post, Flame’s Shade Revisited has surpassed the word count of its unfinished predecessor on FFN. The chapters haven’t even caught up to where the old content left off yet. When I said this fiction was a lot longer, contained a lot more scenes, and was vastly more in-depth, I wasn’t joking. 
> 
> Still, to sit here and actually see the word count numbers continually climb makes me smirk to myself. I don’t think I intended the story to become such a beast, but somehow it did. Knowing exactly how many chapters are left to the completed story also makes me a little embarrassed because good god, there’s a shit load left to post. I hope you’re enjoying this slower version of the story though.
> 
> Significant Changes: One scene was moved to this chapter instead of where it used to be in the original. I felt that it helped the flow of the fiction, particularly where Weiss and Pyrrha’s growing relationship was concerned. Also, two entirely new scenes were added. This is an exposition heavy chapter.
> 
> Original chapter length: 1,811  
Revisited chapter length: 3,794
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 23**

It was too early for breakfast, but sleeplessness had claimed control of the house. The sun was a long way from rising, but deeper thoughts twisted and turned. Ruby couldn’t help but fixate on Blake’s words from hours before. Ruby couldn’t even imagine the possibility of losing Ace in the event of an emergency. It seemed like an impossible outcome. They were huntresses first and foremost, with sworn duties that inherently placed Ace into danger. They had risks they’d never be able to get rid of.

As huntresses, they would be the first into battle, and the last to leave.

If something were to happen in Vale, keeping Ace safe would mean to ignore those duties. To make dishonorable choices, and cruel distinctions. Ruby refused to think about that as she rolled carefully into her side. Her arm securely around the sleeping Faunus to keep her from waking. Ace only stirred for a moment before sleepy purrs continued once more. Since her bed was pressed into the corner of the room, there was only emptiness on the blank wall. Another way to become lost in a sea of helpless thoughts.

No distraction from any of it.

She had no idea what she could do. She wanted to chase away all of the negative whispers rolling around inside her head. Every attempt had failed. Ruby found herself at a complete loss. Rubbing her eyes, she silenced a sigh before it could escape her lips. She had been laying there for hours. Never once leaving her exhausted twilight, or falling into a deeper sleep.

Footfalls carried from the hallway, Blake’s movements from down the hall and into the kitchen indicating that she was also awake. It was a good a time as any. Ruby moved away from the bed ever so carefully, wadding Ace in the blankets enough to keep her there. Then, she grabbed the children’s bed rail that sat upon the wall. Ruby slid it into place to ensure that Ace wouldn’t accidentally fall off the bed in her sleep.

She opened the door, leaving it that way for when Ace woke up. Her path down the hallway smelled like a strong steeping cup of tea. Fumbling for the kitchen light switch took a moment, the bright light blinding both the human standing in the doorway and the Faunus at the table. Blake glared at the sudden change in lighting, trying to adjust her sights. Ruby did the same as fumbled around for the container of orange juice.

“What’s the matter?” Blake asked groggily. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Nope.” Ruby told her, upending the last of the orange juice into a small glass. The plastic bottle hit the garbage with a little more force than it really need. The frown lingering on the woman’s face even after she had taken her first sip. “You’re up early.”

“I know.” Blake mumbled.

With another sip of orange juice to wet her throat, Ruby licked her lips. “Why?”

“I have to be at the youth center before seven.” Blake told her.

Ruby just gave Blake a mild scowl, shaking her head as she downed another sip of juice. “And you say I’m overworked…”

Ruby’s bad mood was strange, and Blake noticed. Raising the warm cup of tea to her lips she waited to see what Ruby might do. There were times that Ruby would plop herself in front of the television, and others when she would sit at the table and toy with her scroll. Instead, Ruby just at down. No scroll, no paper, not even a book. Her eyes glaring daggers into the table.

The ticking clock in the kitchen hadn’t chimed six yet, so Blake knew she had a little time. “I am a bit tired, Ruby, but I have to be there. With Velvet on the wall assignment, someone needs to teach the little ones the rules about marking territory.”

“And you think it has to be you?”

“It doesn’t have to be, but, I feel like it should be.” Blake said softly. “The best way to keep children out of problematic organizations is to prevent it happening in the first place. In order to do that, Faunus children need to understand how to blend in with humans.”

“I don’t see why…”

No, Ruby wouldn’t. She wasn’t the type of person to demand conformity. As a leader she demanded respect and obedience on missions she was in charge of, but when weapon was put away, that demanding nature went along with it. Blake could only do her best to keep the smirk from tugging her lips. She doubted Ruby would appreciate it.

“It’s just the way it is.” Blake told her in explanation. “Human children are taught to keep their hands to themselves, but that isn’t how Faunus behave. What’s considered normal among our kind could be seen as harassment from a human’s perspective.”

“They’re a bunch of kids, Blake.” Ruby told her, fingers idly tapping the clear glass before she lifted it to her lips again. This drink lingered a while, long enough for Blake to have one of her own from the mug of tea. “How much damage can they really do?”

“More than you want to believe, I’ll bet. Even Ace claims territory, Ruby.” Blake said with a soft laugh. “Every time she rubs her cheek on you, or uses her hands, she leaves her scent behind. You can’t smell it, but she marks us every chance that she gets. That instinct never goes away.”

Putting her hands over her face, Ruby merely sighed. “Shit.” She cursed under her breath. “Why is there still so much I don’t know?”

“Because you never needed to know before.” Blake told her.

“Yeah, but I need to know now.” Ruby told her. “Every time I think I’m starting to get things figured out, I realize I don’t even have a clue.”

Blake lifted her tea to her lips once more. It was a loaded complaint, and the solution wasn’t as simple has handing Ruby a book. Rattling off Faunus habits wouldn’t do, either. This was something deeper. “You need to accept that Faunus kids just aren’t the same as you were.” She says, placing her mug back down again. “Faunus kids need to learn how to play and interact with humans. When we’re little, it doesn’t come naturally to us.”

“I don’t see why not.” Ruby muttered, annoyance and exhaustion clouding her voice as she rubbed at her eyes. “Kids are kids, it’s that simple.”

“And that complicated.” Blake pointed out. “We bite, scratch, growl, tackle each other to the ground, and take things we want on a whim. What we think of as playing, you’d think of as fighting or bullying.”

Ruby only groaned, wishing there was something a little stronger in the house than juice.

“You know, when Ace turns three, she’ll start going to a Faunus school too.”

“What’s wrong with Signal’s academic program?” Ruby said, having already planned to enroll Ace there when the time came. “There’s a primary school building a mile from the house…”

“Ace isn’t allowed to go to a school with humans until she’s a little older. It’s the law.” Blake explained. “Faunus need to pass an edict exam before we’re even allowed to go to school with humans, and some of us don’t pass that exam until we’re older.”

“Why is that even allowed?” Ruby asked, her hands falling flat onto the table. “If this is such a big issue, why keep Faunus separated from humans for so long? Why not just teach them together from the start?”

“We just don’t learn the same way.” Blake murmured softly. “Little kids don’t have their aura unlocked yet, Ruby. If Ace were to play with a human her own age, she could hurt really hurt them without trying. If she bites a human toddler, the child would probably just start crying. She wouldn’t understand that she hurt them, either. Another Faunus would bite back or snarl, telling her that it hurt.”

“This is starting to get ridiculous…”

“Is it, though?” Blake wondered aloud. “Let me ask you this, how did you play tag growing up?”

Silver eyes gave an annoyed glare. Emotionally exhausted, she didn’t see where this was going. “The same way everyone else did. The person who’s called ‘it’ touched another player, and then the player who was tagged is then the ‘it’ until they tag someone else. It’s just a fun harmless game.”

“That’s not how we play tag.” Blake said. “I mean it is, but remember, Faunus will always be tempted to follow our instincts. We can get carried away when chasing something. Usually we end up tackling each other.”

“We have games where we do that too, you know.”

“It’s not tied to dominance or territory, though.” Blake shrugged. “When I played tag as a child, we tackled each other. We’d roll around on the ground until the player who’s ‘it’ proves that they’re stronger. Usually, that’s by getting the tagged player into a submissive position. If the tagged player manages to get away, than the ‘it’ player has to try and catch someone else. We don’t see it as anything other than a game, but human children don’t see it that way. That’s what I mean about learning to be gentle.”

“So what, she goes to a Faunus only school?” Ruby asked.

“At first, yes. We all do. Until we use appropriate behavior a majority of the time, we’re not allowed to go to school with humans. The program I’m teaching today is part of that. Scent marking is part of the edict exam.” Blake said. “We can’t just go up to whoever we want and rub ourselves all over them. We can’t just sniff at another person because we like the smell. It might be normal to us, but it makes humans uncomfortable. Faunus have a basic edict exam as kids to enter school, and then secondary edict exam during puberty…the second one happens about the same time humans take sex education…maybe a little earlier, but not much.”

“What class are you teaching?” Ruby asked her.

“Velvet’s class was the basic edict course. They’re young.” Her ear flicked as a thought came to mind. “If this really bothers you so much, why not come with me?”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea…”

“The best way to understand would be to see how the students behave for yourself...” Blake told her. “If you really want to know these things, exposure is the only way you’ll ever really begin to understand…”

* * *

Even after the storm, the duties along the wall persisted. In spite of the long hours the night before, they were expected to be up and manning their stations at their allotted time.

The wall had to be guarded around the clock, perimeter checks took place every eight hours. Guard towers were also manned all day, every day. Scheduled work hours were long, thankfully mundane affairs. There was rarely anything but a lone Grimm or two that wandered just a little too close to the computerized sniper turrets. The high caliber dust rounds normally dispatched the Grimm, or at the very least chased it away from the boarder.

There were also trapped Grimm raised in captivity. These were used to train the younger, lesser experienced students at Signal academy. These Grimm were less wild, slightly tamer around people. They would never be safe to be around, no one could entirely domesticate a Grimm, but it was the next best thing. Weiss decided quickly she hated working with the captured Grimm, and much preferred standing along the wall.

Pyrrha also chose this task over the dreary insides, and so they often spent their shift together. "It's always so beautiful this time of day, just before the sun rises."

"Only if you happen to be a morning person." Weiss replied, leaning on the stone slab that made for a defensive railing. "Or someone who just stayed up all night."

"Like ourselves?" Pyrrha jested.

"One could say that."

"After last night, I can’t wait until we're relieved of our post." Weiss fought back a yawn. “I could really do with another nap.”

"Yes, I plan to make an early night of it myself." Pyrrha agreed as she squinted. "What's that?"

"I don't know." Weiss said, flipping down her night vision goggles. Velvet and Fox making their rounds down on the ground. As a Faunus, Velvet was most suited to patrols just before dawn, and since Fox was blind, the time of day he worked didn't rightly matter. "It seems to be Velvet and Fox returning from the ground patrol. By the looks of it, they seem unharmed."

"I really wish Coco would bring Jaune back soon.” Pyrrha said then, gazing far out into the trees. “I don't like the idea that she's using him as bait to bring back more Grimm."

"It was Yang's idea, actually." Though that was likely less of a comfort for Pyrrha, it was the truth. "Yang won't let anything happen to him, and besides, he's a skilled hunter in his own right."

"That I don't deny." Pyrrha said with a soft smile. "He has gotten very powerful, and continues to grow stronger by the day. Honestly, I know that's why Yang suggested it. Jaune can withstand a great deal of damage, as can Yang, making them perfect targets for luring Grimm…" Her smile fell however, as she grew more serious and thoughtful. "I still feel as though the entire practice of capturing Grimm is revolting. Keeping them alive only to be slain later is a terrible practice."

"It isn't as if we have a choice.”

“I’d like to think we do.”

“Everyone needs to start somewhere.” Weiss said with little more than honesty in her voice. “I was fifteen the first time I killed a Grimm. Well, if you could really call it that." Weiss said, not liking to recall the situation, but it was what made her a huntress. "When I first decided I wanted to be a huntress, my father captured a baby Ursa. Just a little cub really. No bigger than the size of a housecat. He forced me to kill it in cold blood.”

“Really?” Pyrrha asked. “How did you fare?”

“Perfectly, it was a Grimm, after all.” Weiss told her, blue eyes turning to Pyrrha thoughtful. It was only for a brief moment, both of them turning their gazes back to the forest. “Strangely, it was easier than I thought it would be. What was your first kill?"

"A juvenile nevermore. I was fourteen, attending Sanctum." Pyrrha replied in kind. "As a student, I never thought twice about how those Grimm were acquired."

"You weren't the only one." Weiss said. "I never thought to ask where Port happened to get all of his Grimm, but you're not the youngest I've heard of. Ruby was eleven for her first kill. Yang was thirteen."

"Ren and Nora were eight." Pyrrha sighed at that. "When I even think about that, I know you're right. I understand why it needs to be done. I only wish circumstances were different. That, at the very least, we weren't the ones trapping the Grimm."

"I tend to find that many noble practices are usually the most unsavory.” Weiss told her. Perhaps it was her upbringing that lead to such a conclusion, but she was firm and steadfast in that particular belief. “When you really take the time to look, you are given the chance to see the dark realties."

"And you would consider being a huntress one such thing?"

"Being a huntress, that is a personal choice." Weiss said thoughtfully. "But choosing to teach huntsmen in general, man or woman, that's questionable isn’t it?”

“I don’t think so…”

”What about taking children, and teaching them combat. Raising them to join academies in order to slay a Grimm? Furthermore, doing that knowing just what kind of danger you plan to put them in…" It was yet another moral grey area to say the least. "I would say that's more unsavory than the capture of Grimm itself, wouldn't you?"

"We were those children once, you know. To me, it didn't seem as cruel as what you just described."

"But now that I've described it that way, it's hard not to scrutinize it. Correct?" Weiss gave her something of a look. "If you could go back and get a degree in something else, would you?"

For a while, Pyrrha silently wondered that. It wasn't the first time she considered such a question. However, when Weiss posed the question, it seemed all the more sinister.

"No, I don’t believe so. The system maybe flawed, and yes, it is questionable. We are right to think critically about what can be done better….what _should_ be. In spite of the flaws though, I do not regret it." Her answer was always the same. "There is nothing else I would rather be."

Weiss nodded. "Exactly."

* * *

With Nora as an all too willing babysitter, Ruby followed Blake to the youth center. The young boys and girls were running amok before Blake corralled them into child sized seats for attendance. They sat in chairs that formed a circle in the large room. Blake stood in the middle, teaching the hour long class about scent marking. She spoke about friendship, and marking other Faunus. The class took to the lesson eagerly at first.

Then, the lesson became more difficult. Near the end of the class, it was time to talk about scent marking humans. Holding up a few pages of stickers, Blake explained the test as the children fidgeted in their seats. Ruby stood beside her, a willing test subject.

The test was simple. All the children had to do was place a sticker on Ruby. They simply needed to choose the correct places humans could be marked for scent. The little boys and girls had covered Ruby’s torso, cheeks, and forehead with the stickers. The young students showing just how little understanding for personal space they had.

The smallest boy had even placed his sticker on Ruby’s butt. The bright red circle contrasting heavily with the black fabric of Ruby’s skirt.

Blake found herself at a loss when none of them had chosen the correct answer. Her work was going to be cut out for her.

“None of these places can be marked.” She finally said when the last child returned to his seat. “We can’t mark people in these places.”

“Why not?” A small boy with a wolf’s tail pouted, thinking himself clever for choosing Ruby’s forehead.

“For humans, those are private places on their bodies.” Blake told him. “We don’t like it when humans pull on our tails and ears, right? Well, humans don’t like to be touched in private places. We’re not allowed to put our scent in places they don’t like.”

“What’s wrong with marking cheeks?” One of the students asked curiously.

“Most humans don’t want you to get that close to them. Humans like their space.” Blake pulled a sticker from the page. “As Faunus we can leave our scent behind with our hands.” She took Ruby’s palms, placing a sticker in each one. “When you shake hands with a human, you can mark them.”

“But then they wash them!” A little girl complained. “It goes away.”

“Yes, it does.” Blake said, trying to hold in her exasperation. “It’s good to wash our hands. It keeps them clean. It’s important to be clean and tidy, and so everyone should wash their hands. If the scent goes away and you want to put it back, just ask to shake hands again.”

“But if we keep doing it, it’s weird!”

“What if they say no?”

“What if the human gets mad?”

The uproar was silenced with a firm glace, Blake's stance demanding the room to hush by unspoken command alone. She relaxed her ears from their pinned back state, aggression fizzing away into nothingness. A soft breath later and she could only remind herself that children took time to teach. “It doesn't matter who it is. Human or Faunus, if the person says not to touch them, you have to respect that.” Blake told the curious youngsters. “Most humans won’t be mad unless you force them.”

“Humans always get mad.” One of the little fox Faunus boys fired back.

“Maybe some do, but not everyone.” Ruby told him, kneeling down to his level. “I’m a human, but I’m not mad.”

The little boy flattened back his red fox ears, backing away from Ruby as far as he possibly could while sitting in his seat. Ruby sighed, standing up and backing away.

“You must always respect humans.” Blake scolded gently. “If they don’t want to shake hands, you have to accept that.”

“Why don’t they let us mark them where we want?” One of the older girls in the class asked then. “They can’t even smell it anyway.”

“You’re right, they can’t smell it like we can.” Blake told him. “That’s why so many humans don’t like it. They don’t understand us. That’s why we should all have Faunus friends, too. We should make friends with all types of people, humans and Faunus.”

“Not if humans hate us.” The fox Faunus growled under his breath. Crossing his arms as his ear flicked unhappily.

Blake could only clear her throat and carry on with the lesson. She understood his troubles, even if Ruby couldn’t fathom such a thing. “If you try your best, and you’re always kind, you can make humans friends who will let you mark them more often.”

The bell rang and the children fled for the door, causing Blake to deflate as the room emptied out into the hallways. Parents were waiting to gather their children, and Blake could only shake her head. “Sorry about that.” She murmured, plucking a few overlapping sticker from Ruby’s brow. “I thought they’d be further ahead in the lesson book.”

“It’s fine, really.” Ruby told her, pulling the wayward sticker off of her butt before plucking the rest by the handful. “Although, I think I see what you mean, now.” Pealing a sticker that had ended up resting on her shirt over her left breast she couldn’t help but be curious. “Do Faunus really rub their scent all over people’s boobs?”

“Most Faunus have strong scent glands in our cheeks, so yes, it’s certainly more common than you might think.” Blake told her, dumping the used stickers in the trash and placing Velvet’s lesson plans back into the desk in the corner of the room. “For example, think about when Ace nuzzles against you. Scent will be passed when it happens. Children abandon torso marking entirely as they get old enough to know what that scent is actually meant for.”

“Like what…?” Ruby trailed off quietly.

Blake blinked at the question, her gaze suddenly falling away to the side. “It’s um… a sex thing.”

“Oh.” Ruby muttered dumbly before her eyes grew wide like dinner plates. “Ohhhhhh… Wait. Why?” As if realizing what came flying out of her mouth, a blush touched her cheeks as she shook her head. “Oh god, never mind don’t answer that.”

Blake couldn’t help laughing at the newfound redness in Ruby’s cheeks. Her own embarrassment nothing near the level of Ruby’s own.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYangThang: You'll still be getting a Thursday update, but I wanted to get this one out a little early. That way I can end the year of 2019 with up to chapter 25 posted, and I can begin 2020 strong.
> 
> Significant Changes: Enjoy the overflow ladybug content. These are all new scenes that weren’t in the original. Let’s enjoy Blake and Ruby suffering the daily grind and making a few self-discoveries along the way.
> 
> Original chapter length: 3,086  
Revisited chapter length: 2,830
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 24**

[Yours.] The little Faunus happily chirruped. She had graced Blake with a flower that had been thoroughly mangled. Actually, it was likely some sort of weed. A single crumpled petal hanging by thread as the flower lay bent in the young girl’s hand. Ace had ripped her prize from a crack in the pavement where she found it.

Blake took the gift and placed it in her pocket. She’d dispose of it later when Ace couldn’t see her do it. Lifting Ace into the shopping basket, she didn’t particularly want such a gift, and would have appreciated if Ace had simply left it alone. Pushing through a set of automatic double doors Blake pointedly avoided the warm deli and to-go department. The thick smell of roasting chicken wafting in the air.

[Kin. Hungry.] Ace mewed, knowing the smell of meat when she found it.

“No Ace.” Blake said under her breath. “It’s not dinner time.”

[Kin?] Ace mewed unhelpfully. [Kin. Hungry.]

[Quiet.] Blake snarled quietly, affixing the little girl with a pointed glare that made Ace wilt her ears in response. Certain that she would begin to behave herself, Blake pulled a stuffed bear from the diaper bag, giving it to the girl in hopes to amuse her.

If there was one thing Blake hated, it was taking Ace with her on errands. Stopping at the store was an awkward affair. There were no shortage of Faunus hating humans walking the streets, and if that were the only thing that Blake had to trifle with, that would be one thing.

Sadly, it wasn’t.

Well-meaning humans assumed that Ace was her daughter. They commented on her cuteness, claiming that she must have her father’s eyes. Faunus knew otherwise, pointed sniffs and disapproving glares were leveled her way at every opportunity. Why wouldn’t they be suspicious? Scent alone told them all that they needed to know. There was no blood relation between the elder Faunus pushing the shopping cart and the child within.

It wasn’t common, or normal, for a Faunus so young to be away from her immediate family.

Depending on the Faunus, children were often born in multiples. Cat Faunus like themselves rarely had one child at a time. Twins were most common, triplets following soon after. With no siblings in the cart along with Ace, everything looked more suspicious. With only the implication of friendly scent between them, most Faunus adults would take an issue with it.

After all, for all they knew, Ace might have been kidnapped. Taken away from her family for some terrible scheme.

Those that didn’t glare in confusion, looked to Blake with resigned pity. Instinct ran deeply. It was rare that Faunus found it within themselves to adopt a child that was not their own. Females might, if having their own was completely out of the question. If a woman was too ill, unable to conceive, unmated, or simply unwilling to do so, she might find the desire to take in a child, raising it as her own.

The same could not be said among Faunus men. Most males were simply wired differently. They had an inherent urge to spread their own seed, see to their own offspring, and help to raise the offspring of their kinfolk. For those with large families and sparling generations, it was no small effort. They had no time to protect an outsider’s little one, and had very little desire to do so.

Blake grabbed the box of cereal off the shelf before moving away from the mated couple beside her. She couldn’t take the way they looked at her with sad eyes. There no telling what tragic story their imaginations had cooked up. Ace was blissfully none the wiser as Blake turned the corner.

[Mine?] Ace mewed, little hands reaching for the cat toy sitting on the endcap of the pet supplies isle. The feathery implement attached to a stick came complete with a little bell. It seemed to call to her, and she leaned over as far as she could in an attempt to grab it.

“Absolutely not.” Blake groused under her breath, hurrying away to the canned goods before Ace could kick up a fuss.

Blake grabbed what she needed quickly, refusing to loiter around any longer than she was required to. Canned vegetables made their way into the basket along with glass jars of fruit. A sale was on for sweetened condensed milk, and Blake reached over taking a few cans and stuffing them into the cart. Finally, she began making her way to the checkout and escaping the store with dinner in hand.

With a mountaineering backpack now full of groceries, and Ace on her hip, Blake sped home as fast as her skills as a huntress would carry her.

* * *

Hobbling home, Ruby returned to the warm smell of beef stew cooking in the kitchen.

“I’m home.” Ruby called closing the door behind her.

“Welcome back.” Blake returned.

[Kin!] Ace came to her side.

“Hey, Ace.” Ruby said, forcing herself to smile as she pat the girl on the head. Even that small action was exhausting. Looking at the bloody gauze pad that covered her right arm, she grimaced as she entered the kitchen collapsed in the chair.

The smell of stale blood touched Blake’s nose. Raising her eyebrow she carefully examined the air. Something was wrong. The smell wasn’t filled with hormones that came naturally with a woman’s monthly cycle. “What happened?” Blake asked, reeling around, the meal forgotten as the first hints of fresh blood mixed with it, as though something was still seeping.

“A rookie working the lift machine dropped a cargo container full of yellow dust.” Ruby told her, peeling back the gauze to see the wound was still trying to close up. Blake was already headed for the first aid kit, and Ruby could only roll her eyes. “It’s not too bad. It’s already closing up.”

Ace had followed her into the kitchen, little claws digging into Ruby’s knee curiously. [Kin?]

“I’m okay.” Ruby told her, trying to remove the clawed fingers nipping into her skin.

“Dust slows the healing process. You have to get that cleaned out.” Blake fired back as she came back into the kitchen. A large white box from the supply closet firmly in hand. “Why didn’t your aura protect you from the blast?”

“It was a big blast.” Ruby said, Picking Ace up and placing her in her lap.

“It had to be.” Blake said as she came to sit down beside Ruby. “How bad was it?”

“Well, the whole container blew. Shrapnel went flying everywhere.” The younger huntress said with a sigh. A soft sound of discomfort slipping from her lips as Blake touched the edges of the wound. “Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt.”

Blake frowned, already preparing to clean it with a medical grade dust solvent. With a clean rag in hand, Blake upturned the bottle to soak the cloth. “Please tell me this is the only place you’re injured.”

“More or less.” Ruby shrugged, biting down on her lip as soon as the chilly feeling of solvent began to sting in her open cut. “I’m going to be hurting tomorrow though.”

“You shattered your aura completely, didn’t you?” Blake accused, waiting for Ruby’s skin to slowly knit back together. It wasn’t happening. Even after the dust was cleared away from the wet edges, the wide gash was there to stay. “That’s why you’re not healing properly, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t shatter it, it’s just dormant.” Ruby told her, catching Ace’s little hands to keep her from grabbing at the medical supplies. It was better than facing down Blake’s displeased glare, and the edges of worry found within amber eyes. “My aura’s fine, just depleted.”

“That’s one hell of a depletion, Ruby.” Blake said with a shake of her head, beginning to redress Ruby’s acquired injury. “How did it run so low?”

“I had to use it when my head hit the pavement from the blast.” Ruby told her, idly allowing herself to reach for the spot. It felt completely healed, but she had wanted to be sure. “I’m okay, Blake, really.”

Blake wanted to believe her. In some manner of speaking, she knew that it was true. Ruby’s aura would reach full capacity in a few days, and the rest of the cut would heal overnight. In less than a week, there wouldn’t even be a scar. Still, a low aura needed to be taken care of, and there was only one way to treat it.

“Take some aura enhancers, and go to bed.” The Faunus ordered, cleaning up the mess upon the table.

Ruby didn’t budge, wincing a bit as she examined Blake’s handiwork. “I think I’ll wait on dinner, if it’s all the same to you.”

“You’re not doing yourself any favors sitting in that chair. Go get in bed, and I’ll bring you a bowl when it’s done.” Blake said, dumping the used supplies in the trash before washing her hands vigorously in the sink.

* * *

Blake couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Dust was a dangerous substance. It was prone to activation, when mishandled even slightly. There were ways to prevent dust from activating, but that came down to the packaging of the company. The Schnee Dust Company had access to the purest dust in the world, but, very little care was given to the safety of SDC employees. The danger was well known, but, the need for dust was too important to ignore.

Blake hated the company, and hated that Ruby had been harmed by one of the containers. Washing the dishes and putting away the leftovers didn’t provide the soothing distraction that she had desperately wanted. She needed something else to do, defaulting to making Ruby some hot chocolate. The calories would be good for replenishing Ruby’s aura, but a small mood boost couldn’t hurt the matter either.

She grabbed one of the cans of sweetened condensed milk, stabbing a slice into the top so that she could empty it into a small sauce pan. The method was routine as she fished out the rest of the supplies from the pantry. She couldn’t count how many times she had done this, even though she would never dare to dry a sip of it herself.

Yang’s words were completely ridiculous, but they had a bad habit of cropping up at the most inconvenient times. The blonde had jumped to conclusions, and Blake didn’t let herself linger on the matter.

Making hot chocolate was just an act of kindness, nothing more than that.

The sooner Ruby could recuperate her aura, the better, and that was just a fact. Preparing a mug of the sweet mixture, Blake carried it into Ruby’s bedroom. There, Ruby and Ace were propped up in bed with a large coloring book in front of them. Green scribbles of crayon messily caking the outline that looked like a pine tree. Ace ran the crayon over the area several times in large circles.

“So much for reading.” Blake said as she looked at the haphazard artwork.

“She wouldn’t sit still long enough.” Ruby replied, picking up a yellow crayon before it got lost in the tangle of bedsheets. “What’s up?”

“I made you some hot chocolate.” Blake said, setting it down on the bedside table. “It’ll help with your aura.”

“Thanks, but you don’t have to worry about me so much. I’m fine, it’s just a scratch.” Ruby said softly as she looked down at coloring book.

“It would have already completely healed if your aura was back to full capacity.” Blake sat down on the side of the bed, watching Ace pick up an orange crayon nearly smashing it into the top of the page where the sky should be. “She’s really into that stupid thing, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, but it’s a mess.” Ruby said, picking up flakes of crushed crayon that hadn’t been smooshed into the paper. “At least it’s not paint.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take her?” Blake asked then. “You should be trying to sleep.”

“To be honest, I’m not that tired.” Ruby told her, reaching for the warm mug of hot chocolate. “This is relaxing enough.”

“Alright.” Blake murmured dubiously. “If you’re sure…”

* * *

A knock came at the door the following mid-afternoon. Nora was grinning with a box of pizza in hand. “Hey Ruby, feeling better?”

“Yeah, I’ll be benched for a few days though. Low aura, and all that.” She shrugged, letting the electric powerhouse through the front door. “We’re going to have to keep it down, Ace is in the middle of a nap.”

“I’d say enjoy the time off. You’ll be back out there soon enough lugging everything around again in no time.” She said, nearly tossing the pizza onto the coffee table. “So, where did Blake wander off to again?”

“She’s teaching a class. It’s a Faunus thing.” Ruby told her with a little shrug. “You want something to drink?”

“Water will be fine.” Nora said plopping down grabbing the first slice of pizza. Ruby nodded, grabbing two glasses of water from the kitchen before returning and finding a seat on the sofa. Reaching for her own slice she asked a question of her own. “Where’s Ren?”

“Getting our mission orders."

"Oh.. I didn't think there were any Grimm sightings in the area."

"We’re heading to re-supply another village with some of yesterday’s kingdom imports. I would have gone with him, but you know I never have been on Glynda’s good side.”

Ruby nodded at that, a soft hum coming from the depths of her throat. That was all she could manage as she chewed her bite of food. “Careful, that dust is really caustic.”

“Yeah, it’ll take a while to repair that warehouse. There are six teams issued on cleaning detail, it really is a mess.” Nora said, having nearly inhaled the first slice of pizza and moving onto her second. “Heck of a blast, I’m surprised you were still standing.”

“I don’t have as much aura as Yang, but I can take a dust explosion to the face.” Ruby chuckled before sighing and leaning back on the sofa. “I worried Blake though. I practically had to push her out the door this morning.”

“Personally, I’d be more worried if Blake wasn’t worried at all.”

“What do you mean?”

“Honestly, those of us down at the mission site were all a little worried, actually.” Nora said, her tone casual as ever. “One second you’re standing there issuing orders in the cargo bay, and then the next a load of dust nearly falls on you. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little freaked out.”

“Yeah, I get that, but every time Blake thinks I’m overdoing it, she gets a little…" Ruby paused, thinking. "I don’t know I don’t really have a word for it.” She could only shrug as Nora eyed her curiously. “Like for example she patched me up again, wouldn’t let me help with dinner at all, then she end up bringing me hot chocolate in bed. It was nice and all, but, I was fine.”

Nora nodded, toying with some pizza crust before popping it into her mouth. “Maybe you were fine, but so what?”

“I don’t like thinking that Blake worries about me like that. I’d like to think I’m way more capable has a huntress.” Ruby told her. “That I don’t need her to worry, you know?”

“Hmm, I know you can take a lot.” Nora said. “I’m pretty sure Blake knows it too, but that’s probably why she does worry about you. You’re certified for leading teams. You have a way harder job than we do. When things go south because of planning, you’re the one that’s got to answer for it. Yesterday could have been really bad…”

“That’s what happens when rookies get involved with dust shipments.” Ruby sighed, glaring down at the half-eaten slice of pizza in her hand. The cheese and sauce melding together. “I try to keep newbies away from unloading dust, but I have no control over what Cardin does about mission orders before I get there.”

“He shouldn’t even be in charge of those orders in the first place.” Nora complained. “There’s a reason you’re usually in charge of oversight for warehouse B. Those are critical supplies. All the food that was being stored in there is completely ruined, and we’re down two weeks supply of yellow dust besides.”

Ruby just laughed, self-deprecatingly at that. “Weiss drilled everything I could ever need to know about dust into me. I only know more than other people because she insisted on teaching me. Otherwise, I’d be just as clueless as he is.”

“Yeah, but you aren’t. You left notes for him, and he didn’t even read them.”

"He never does."

Nora shook her head. “Hey, you know, I’m just really glad you’re not seriously hurt, and I’ll bet Blake feels the same way. Besides, if she came home all bloody like that, I’d be you’d treat her the same way.”

"Maybe..."

"There's no maybe about it." Nora told her. "You guys are like family, and that's what families do. It doesn't matter if you can take care of yourself or not."


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: two new scenes, and one old scene reworked a little. One scene was moved here instead of where it was before.
> 
> Original chapter length: 1,696  
Revisited chapter length: 4,450
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 25**

The walls around Vale weren’t just for protection of those within the Kingdom. It was also protection for the furthest villages dotted around the continent. Each wall had accolated scroll towers that fanned out along the kingdom’s territories. This allowed even the most remote villages to get into contact with the kingdom at a moment’s notice. Each section of wall was responsible for taking calls and making a record of Grimm sightings. These reports would then be drafted into missions and sent to Beacon to be doled out by regulated mission boards or Ozpin himself.

It seemed like a fairly easy position, but, it was also rather boring. The small room and white walls offered little in the way of mental stimulation. The paperwork itself way dry, and screening calls always took longer than anyone might like. Written reports and issuing mission descriptions took time, and the slog of fact checking involved made even Weiss balk at the idea.

She much preferred working outside or keeping an eye on the surveillance cameras, but there was little to be done about it. Still, there were far worse places to be, and she knew better than to complain. This would always be better than the basement. That area was filled with Grimm drinking in sorrow and eyeing their captors like their next meal.

Fully prepared for a long day of pushing papers, Weiss could only stand and gawk at the sight of the office room. “What am I looking at right now?” She asked, ram-rod straight at the complete mess the room was in.

“The aftermath of Yang and Coco by the looks of it.” Velvet replied, picking up a piece of paperwork that had a ring of coffee sitting around it. Beside her, the trashcan was overflowing with wadded up paper. “It seems like they were playing trash can basketball.”

“I am going to kill them.” Weiss replied as Pyrrha and Velvet began to clean up the floor. Meanwhile she examined the haphazard scribbling that could have only come from Yang. “What even is this? These coordinates aren’t even in our jurisdiction!”

“What?” Pyrrha asked.

“These reports come from the east side of Vale, not the west.” Weiss said, practicing immense restraint as she let loose a long sigh. “Furthermore, the penmanship has to be Yang’s, its atrocious. These are almost as bad as the notes she used to take in school. How does she expect anyone to read any of this?”

“And this is why we should never let Coco near this room.” Velvet told them as she pulled up a chair to begin looking over the piles of paperwork that had been left on the dust. “I think from here on out we can agree never to leave those two here alone unsupervised again.”

“Agreed.” Weiss muttered. “Pyrrha, can you pass me the call logs from your desk please?”

“Certainly.” Pyrrha replied, using her semblance to ease the metal binder across the room. “On that note, where are the mission briefings for next week?”

“I thought you had them?” Weiss said, looking up from her musings, watching as Pyrrha shook her head helplessly. “Velvet, do you have them?”

“Not to my knowledge.” The rabbit Faunus replied, sifting through everything on her desk just to be sure. “Coco never has been good at keeping things organized.”

“She was a team leader for years. How can she be so bad at paperwork?” Weiss asked, grunting as she lifted a stack of thick tomes out of her way in search of the all-too-important mission lists.

“Truthfully, I had to help her to do it.” Velvet said softly in admittance. “Coco is probably one of the best huntresses that I know, but sadly, that only applies to field work. When it comes to putting things down on paper, she’s quick to distraction. Ah, I think I found them.” There was a small sense of victory as Velvet found a think envelope with the missions sealed away inside. “I should probably send these off to the mailing department before we lose track of them again. I’ll be right back.”

“Right, can you take this over to the clerical department while you’re at it?” Weiss asked, holding the Grimm sighting and village call longs. “Tell them that these need to be sent to the eastern wall as quickly as possible.”

“Yeah, sure thing.” Velvet took the offered folders before heading out of the office and down the long, narrow hallway.

Weiss could only collapse in the nearest chair, sighing at everything that had piled up over the last few days. “I never thought I’d say this, but the week moves by more slowly here than I ever thought to expect. Despite that, there seems to be an endless supply of work.”

“Yes, it does seem that way, doesn’t it?” Pyrrha agreed, already pulling up a holographic map and typing in necessary data for Grimm migration. “I wonder, what will you do for your first week off?”

“Keel over in bed and refuse to move. Ace will probably be a handful, assuming she isn’t angry that we’ve left for so long.” Weiss stated dryly. “Yourself?”

“To be honest, I’m not quite sure. I haven’t taken the time to think about it.” Her fingers paused over the number pad thoughtfully. “I assume the chores have built up. Nora isn’t particularly keen on keeping things tidy. Ren does his best, but it isn’t an easy task. I’ll probably spruce up around the house and do some training.”

“The trademark of an exciting life.” Weiss said, a little annoyed at the thought. “We’ll have seven full days off, and not a single plan to have any fun. That must say something about our social lives, and I’m sure it isn’t anything flattering.”

“Perhaps not. Would it sound incredibly rude of me to say that I don’t mind the occasional solitude?” Pyrrha asked.

“No more rude that when I say it.” Weiss told her. “I’ve lived in the spotlight enough in my life. I don’t need or want to be the center of attention.”

“Me either.” Pyrrha said. “Although, it is quite lonely at times. There are moment that I would like more, but, thankfully having teammates around keep thoughts like that infrequent.”

Weiss nodded, but felt that she couldn’t relate. It wasn’t about wanting more, it was about deserving it. Frankly, she just didn’t, and given her family’s grotesque history, she probably never would.

A thought came to mind with the jumble of work related stress. She looked up from her place at the desk, pen perched in her hand as she tapped it against the paper softly. “I think it might be nice to do a game night during the week. Something casual to ward away the boredom.”

Pyrrha just smiled as she typed in another location on the holographic map. “I think that would be grand…”

* * *

A day in the small office was exhausting. It was made no better by a call later during her break. Blake’s image appearing on the small screen as she recounted the events that had been going on at the house.

“She did what?!” Weiss found herself shouting into her scroll as she sat at the table in the middle of the room. Her sandwich left completely forgotten as Blake spun the tale of Ruby’s apparent injury.

“You heard me.” Blake complained. Weiss watched the video feed as Blake stirred some ground beef in a hot sauce pan. She turned her head at the side to look at her mounted scroll before rolling her eyes. “The dust went off and sent her flying. Then she had to focus her aura on some sort of head injury. Her arm was still seeping when she got home. She played it off, but if you had seen it you would have thrown a fit.”

“That idiot...” Weiss mumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose. “She had better not have inhaled any of it.”

“Oh, she did.” Blake said, adding some salt and proper to the mix. “Check her aura readings.”

Weiss did, only to curse under her breath at the incredibly low percentage showing on the bar. Less than that of a regulation sparring match. “Oh my god…”

“Yep.” Blake groused. “She’s benched for recuperation, but trying to get her to rest is completely pointless.”

“I used to glyph her to the bed for a reason.” Weiss muttered, the door opened and closed behind her as Yang came into the room. “Just a moment, Yang’s finally returned.” She turned to the blonde who was already shrugging out of her workboats. “Ruby took a dust explosion to the face the other day, and she failed to inform us.”

“Is she okay?” Yang asked, mid-step to an empty chair.

“She’s benched for low aura, but otherwise fine.” Blake called out over the scroll. “Or so she claims.”

Yang moved to lean over the chair Weiss sat at, both faces moving into view on Blake’s end of the scroll. “It didn’t happen at the house did it?”

“No, down by the docks. Today she’s slouching over the desk in her room to complete an incident report. She claims she’s okay, but I still think she should be resting, not that she listens.”

“If she says she’s fine, then she probably is.” Yang said with a shrug.

“She always pushes herself too hard, Yang.” Blake retorted, biting her lower lip and looking off someplace unseen before her ears wilted unhappily.

“It’s cute that you worry so much, but don’t you think that comes from a deeper place than just worrying about a teammate?” Yang chuckled a little under her breath.

“Yang…” Blake sighed. “Take this seriously.”

“I am, Blake.” Yang told her, reaching to pull the scroll from Weiss, fixing Blake with a knowing stare. “She’s my sis, I don’t want her getting hurt, but come on. She’s a huntress, and shit like this happens. If she was actually hurt, I’d be home in a heartbeat. If she says she’s okay, I trust that. Why can’t you?”

“Because…”

“Because why, Blake?”

“Just…” Blake shook her head. “I don’t know…”

“Yeah, ya do.” Yang sighed. “Doesn’t do a damn bit of good if you don’t say something to her, though.” Without warning she hung up the scroll, tossing it back to Weiss, the shorter woman catching it expertly, fixing Yang with a mild glare of her own.

“Just what was that about?” She retorted hotly. “I was in the middle of a conversation.”

“Yeah, and if she calls back, don’t answer it.” Yang scoffed, mild amusement mixing with exasperation. “Blake needs to sort her own shit out, and she’s not good at doing that when she can avoid it like the plague.”

“Right…” Weiss trailed off, skeptical.

“Just trust me.” Yang said while climbing into her bunk.

* * *

Yang knew.

She could feel it bone deep. She couldn’t place why, not exactly. She liked to think she understood Blake pretty deeply at this point, and she was sure that she knew Ruby even better than that. Just looking at them, she saw the chemistry, she had seen it for a long time. It wasn’t obvious at first, or maybe ever. She wouldn’t doubt that most people would think she was crazy, but Yang could feel the slow shift that only came when friends turned to lovers.

It was like storm twisting in the air. She knew the feeling, she had felt it many times in her life, following those emotions however they carried her.

Blake and Ruby would never be the same way, and she knew that too. Pitying the fact that Blake couldn’t just open her mouth, learning to say all of the little things that came to mind. The day would come though, that Yang knew. It would come along sooner than anyone really wanted to admit, because that’s just how matters of the heart worked.

Denial would only serve Blake so well. Then it would crumble, worn away by time, like all walls do. Physical, emotional, all walls were the same.

“You just mark my words, Pyrrha. They’re going to be together-together in no time flat.”

“I’m not so sure about that, Yang.”

“You just don’t want to admit it because that means you’ll have to hold up your end of the bargain.” Yang said with a grin.

"I can’t believe you even remember that.”

“Well, I do.” Yang said. “Pretty hard to forget something like that.”

“It was a bet we made under juvenile inebriation, surely you cannot hold me to it now after all of these years." Pyrrha said as she sunk deeper into the water. Sighing away the soreness in her muscles. "We were still in Beacon back then.”

A grueling session of deadlifts in the gym had tuckered them both out. One warm shower later, and they were both soaking in induvial bathtubs. The white privacy screens pulled together. Their inner screen between them only pulled up half-way, so they could look over and talk amongst themselves without giving anyone else a show.

"Still going to hold you to it, and you’re not backing out." Yang said as she wetted her washcloth once more and draped it over her ample bosom. She wasn’t shy by any means, but Pyrrha had always approached the modesty. "The deal was one date with your crush, that’s not all that hard."

"What if I don't have one?" Pyrrha posed, wondering if Yang might actually by such a boldfaced like if she provided it.

"What if I know that's total bullshit?" Yang parroted back playfully. Looking over to Pyrrha with a somewhat cheeky grin on her face.

"Do you realize how completely irresponsible such a bet is, correct? We're not teenagers anymore, and for all you know, the crush could be you." Pyrrha pressed, not liking the way that Yang continued to smirk. The blonde was entirely too pleased with herself. "We both know how disinterested you would be to actually go on a date with me."

"But it isn't me, Pyrrha." Yang said knowingly. "I don't know who you're interested in nowadays. I know I'm nowhere near what you're looking for, though. I mean, I'm a chick for one."

"So?" Pyrrha asked. "What does you being a woman have to do with anything?"

"Uh, you're not into girls?" Yang said with less confidence than she would have liked. Her smirk falling as she considered that Pyrrha might be in the closet. That was a wholly unsatisfying thought. "I mean, unless you are…” She couldn’t help but wonder now. “Then again, even if you were, it's not like you actually _look_ at me when you could. Like right now for example, I'm sure if I hit on you right now, you'd be indifferent. Or, at least you’d be really bothered by it."

"That's undeniably true..." Pyrrha murmured, even the mere thought making her spine crawl. Yang was her friend, but that’s all she was. There were some lines that should never be crossed. “Just as I would hope that you would never even think to turn your romantic affections towards me.”

"Yeah, because we're friends. We're just not that _friendly_ with each other, if you catch my drift…” Yang told her, stretching out in the water. “So anyway, you're like what, bisexual then?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "To be frankly honest, it's not quite as simple as male or female. I'm demisexual, so dating is slightly more complicated for me."

"You're what?" Yang had honestly never heard the term in her life.

"Demisexual." Pyrrha sighed, an old and discomforting feeling in the pit of her gut. It was a hard thing to admit. "It means I don't experience attraction the way you do. I do notice why a person might be attractive, but for me, personally, that's not enough. I need to feel emotionally connected to a person before I develop a desire to even consider dating them. I've never simply had a crush based on gender or appearances. They're slow burning realizations that come to me over time."

"Okay, so like, friends then." Yang said slowly, trying to understand.

"Well, yes, I suppose you could look at it that way. The people I'm attracted to, they tend to be people I'm particularly close with." Pyrrha told her, her gaze drifting upward thoughtfully. "Which, I suppose is what makes things rather difficult in the long run."

"Uh...how?"

"Well, for example, with Jaune, it was easy to fall in love." Pyrrha began slowly, fidgeting with some bubbles in the water. "He was so atypical of anyone I had ever known. He kept surprising me in all the right ways. It was easy to want a romantic relationship with him. The problem was keeping the romance alive. Truthfully, that was the hardest thing in the world for me."

"Why?" Yang asked. It was easy going, unobtrusive, as if she really didn't mind if Pyrrha dodged the question.

"The stress, mostly." Pyrrha began. "We were partners first and foremost. That weighed on him to measure up to an impossibly high standard. His lacking of official training didn't bother me. I was ready to give him everything I had, but his faith in himself was so lacking at the time. He seemed to think so little of himself, and nothing I could say or do made it better…"

"Sounds like a shitty time...poor guy." Yang sighed. "Never realized it was that hard for him. I knew he had it rough, but not that rough."

"It was a predicament. A troubling one, which in turn made me feel entirely empty. My love for him was poisoning to the both of us, and eventually, it hurt our relationship enough that I lost attraction to him."

"I never knew…"

"That's because it was a very personal thing to do, choosing to end it as we did." Pyrrha said, maintaining her honesty. If little else, her words were strictly factual, and there was a small breath of comfort in that. "We stayed friends, so there was never any need to explain it to anyone else. Ren and Nora know all the details, of course. However, Jaune and I were always discreet in the first place. Ending it quietly was the natural choice too."

"But you do have feelings for someone else now." Yang said, knowing Pyrrha hadn't denied it.

"Yes, I do. She is not the sort of woman to take being hit-on lightly, even if it is by a trusted friend." The redhead replied. "I don't even think she's interested in women…"

The blonde quirked an eyebrow. "Assuming she was?"

"I have no evidence to support that she is."

"Okay, but say hypothetically she is, then what?" Yang insisted with a roll of her eyes. "Pretend that the girl is a flaming lesbian. She could not be gayer, farts sparkles and shits rainbows, would you ask this person out on a date? Yes or no?"

"I honestly don't know…”

“How in the hell do you not know?” Yang groaned, rolling her eyes.

“I wish it was as simple as a yes or no answer, but it isn't." The imagery was quite a bit more disturbing than Pyrrha’s mind wished to conjure, even though it promptly did so anyway. "I'm not sure if she feels connected to me in the same way, and I need that connection. It's the only way to make romance for me last at all, and she's the sort of person that's very prideful."

"Sounds like you're afraid of rejection..."

"I am, a little bit." Pyrrha said softly. "So, until I know for sure that everything feels right between this person and myself, I simply cannot ask her to be anything more than my friend."

“Right…” Yang said softly.

* * *

Ruby grumbled as she stood mindlessly in the bathroom mirror. With her toothbrush in her mouth, and the mental fog of sleepiness clouding her thoughts, she fumbled through her routine on auto-piolet. Ace sat beside her, kicking her feet idly. Her little nose twitching between each curious sniff if the air. At first Ruby didn’t think much of it as the thick smell of ham and eggs wafted from the kitchen. Instead she rinsed her mouth and dried her face.

Setting Ace down on the floor, Ruby made her way to the kitchen, Ace trailing after her recklessly. The young Faunus skidding to a halt and just narrowly avoiding crashing into the kitchen door frame.

“Morning, Blake.” Ruby greeted tiredly, side stepping Ace entirely as hungry mews began incessantly. She went to the fridge, grabbing the milk container before finding a clean glass.

“Morning.” Blake replied, pan in hand as she kept the eggs from burning. “Breakfast is almost done.”

“Thank god for that.” Ruby said, managing to block Ace before she crashed into the open door of the fridge. The child weaved her way between two sets of legs, hand upraised to try and get to the food. Blake shoved the pan away from reach as Ruby, grabbed the troubles little girl. “No. You need to wait.” Ruby said sternly, holding the girl well away from the piping hot stove top and plates surrounding it.

[Mine.] Ace growled petulantly, trying to launch herself away from Ruby’s firm hold. Thrashing towards the sunny yellow egg frying in the pan. [Mine. Now.]

[Not yours.] Blake’s growl was deep and stern as her arm fell over the countertop, blocking the plates and stovetop protectively. [Mine.] Her stance seemed to demand, amber eyes slitting aggressively.

Ace slinked away at the display, backing into Ruby’s hold as she suck her hand into her mouth. A sad little sound followed. The sound of apology. Blake rolled her eyes, stance relaxing once more as she turned back to the food. Ruby put Ace in the highchair that had seen better days. It was full of claw marks, the edges ripped enough to protrude stuffing. Wheeling it to the table she poured a sippy-cup of orange juice, watering it down a bit before screwing the lid on and passing it to Ace. Blake slid some of the eggs that she had scrambled onto a plastic plate along with a piece of lightly buttered toast and a few bits of cut up ham.

“Any missions today?” Ruby asked the woman, taking the plate and passing it off to Ace. The little girl dove for the food, her small hands cramming egg into her mouth at the first opportunity. She would probably end up wearing most of it, rather than eating it.

“No, I’m off.” Blake said, reaching for her scroll to check her schedule. “I’ve got a few days before I’m scheduled for anything.”

“What about volunteer work?”

“There’s a few things I want to get done around the house, so I don’t think I’ll be going out today.” Blake told her, both of their plates in hand as she came around to sit at the table. “That, and I’d like to be able to spend some time with you before we both get slammed hard with the upcoming mission schedules.”

“I need to submit the written incident report over at Beacon today.” Ruby said, taking the offered plate so that she could enjoy her own breakfast. “I’ll be out most of the afternoon.”

“Oh, I forgot about that…” Blake trailed off, fork in hand, mentally cursing her lapse of good judgement

“It’s fine. I should be back around evening time, so we could do something then if you wanted.” Though, in truth, Ruby had no idea what that something might be. She struggled to think of a good idea, hoping Blake already had a plan in mind.

“Think Nora could babysit?” Blake asked, her mind instantly drifting to the small eatery along the pier that had decently priced meals and adequate nightlife.

Ruby shook her head. “Probably not, Nora and Ren have a mission to prep for.”

Blake chewed a little more forcefully on her ham than she needed to. Glancing to Ace, she eyed the child, trying to come up with a better solution. Nothing came to mind. Well, it was to be expected, and she decided she wouldn’t dwell too deeply on the matter. “I don’t mind staying in, we haven’t had a whole lot of time to just lay around the house. A few cheesy movies and some take-out from the pub would work for me.”

“Sounds like a plan then.” Ruby said with a soft smile.

Blake cared.

Ruby didn’t really know what to do with that information, but she knew enough to know that. As she got up from the table to go about her day, she couldn’t help but feel a weight settle over her. In truth, Ruby had no idea what to do with the newfound realization that the offer for dinner might have a double meaning.

It was like a seemingly unspoken declaration that Blake had handed to her.

On the surface, it seemed innocent enough. Ruby couldn’t deny it probably was. Blake wasn’t the sort to carry ulterior motives or to be intentionally deceitful. It wasn’t the sort of person she was. There was something else though, something that Blake wasn’t saying. Either by choice, or by obligation.

The scar on her arm didn’t hurt anymore, but Ruby couldn’t help but look at it in the shower, fingers running over that mark that was slowly fading away thanks to aura. Soon it would be gone forever, but the memory would last. The pain, and the moment Blake insisted on bandaging the wound herself at the kitchen table. It would be harder to forget, and like so many things between them, it would rest as another personal moment.

Those were racking up fast recently. What had once been an occasional occurrence, seemed to morph. It gained momentum over time.

There were a lot of things Ruby set aside as kindness and close friendship. Lingering touches, overt concern, and hot chocolate, which Blake couldn’t drink even if she wanted to. All of it seemed to increase in frequency. Combined with the desire to spend even more time together, Ruby wondered how else their friendship might change.

Or, if she even wanted it to…

That was a messy thought. It had no clear resolution, because thinking of that only made her feel lonely. It made her rub at the scar, palm falling flat over its surface. Gently squeezing the muscle in her arm, as though it would force the scar to remain. A point of proof that she wasn’t just imagining things.

She put it aside, believing that dwelling too much on the subject wouldn’t do her any good. They were friends first and foremost, and that friendship, no matter what form it took, was there to stay.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYangThang: Okay all, it’s time for the dreaded and much hated “ditto” scene. Originally the scene was in chapter 12, which I think bears a testament to just how much new content has been added in this re-write. It’s been changed up a little, the general premise is still the same. On several iterations of the re-write I planned to cut it completely. Even while posting this series up, I considered cutting it yet again. That being said, it’s too important of a scene not to have, considering that it isn’t all “happily ever after’ from that point onward. 
> 
> Readers of the original story know that figuring out their relationship isn’t as easy as they’d both like. Instead, it’s awkward as Ruby learns to deal with the subject of romance for the first time, and Blake is both a Faunus and very sexually inclined. Originally, I had written this scene as a jumping-off point. It was intended to be taken that way instead of some big emotionally charged confession. That being said, that’s what it still is. An entry into romantic waters, nothing more than that. 
> 
> I said at the beginning of the fiction that some of the old bones in this story were flawed beyond repair, and this is perhaps one of those flaws.
> 
> Trying to insert anything beyond Ruby’s initial statement does Ruby’s personality in this story a huge injustice. Ruby is not a bigot, or someone that would let things linger. She is mostly self-assured in her everyday life. Faunus topics themselves notwithstanding, she is a fully realized, independent adult. She’s been living with Blake since they’ve known each other. Those reasons alone, in my opinion, validate Ruby’s simple one word response. It’s why at the end of the day it’s been left in.
> 
> Significant Changes: Slight changes to the scenes, and the placement of them, but nothing major. 
> 
> Original chapter length: 4,668  
Revisited chapter length: 3,889
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 26**

It was alarming how right Yang could be while simultaneously being wrong too.

Was there a way to somehow push a relationship forward when it very clearly had been headed in the same direction for years?

Blake wasn't so sure. She couldn't exactly pinpoint when she began to develop feelings for Ruby, or even if she had developed them at all. It wasn't that simple. It wasn't about love, or emotion. It wasn't the safety of routine, or the monotony of days gone by. It was that, for as long as Blake could recall, she and Ruby had a profound friendship.

Nothing more, nothing less, that a very dear friendship.

They had their obligatory ups and downs. Some good times, and others bad. Triumphs and defeat woven between the threads of life. Old dreams died, new were born, and as time went on things stayed the same. There were occasions that Blake truly wondered where she would be after Beacon. Moments when she doubted she would even have a team after that.

Times changed, the questions didn’t. There were still nights when she wondered where her life would lead a few years down the line.

The real question was, was saying anything worth jeopardizing all of that? Was taking a risk this time, worth all of the hurt it might cause? If silence was relatively painless by comparison, why take the risk at all?

There wasn't an easy answer.

Blake decided over a cup of coffee late one night, that none of this was ever going to be easy. What made things worse, was that it didn't need to be complicated either.

As Yang had accused, they were fine, living with things the way they were.

Maybe it didn't need to change. Maybe it would all be better, continuing on without saying a word. It was the way things normally went after all. Blake quietly nodding her head and getting swept up in whatever oddity came her way next…

But…

Yang was right too.

A few key details in her life were a little lacking.

Blake knew this quiet night in front of her was something she wanted. A little something that might be called family. As she observed the nocturnal child in front of her, she couldn’t deny it. Ace watched the newest movie that Ruby had found, bright crimson eyes blissfully naive to the harshness of this world. This home was her haven, built with care. Ruby’s arms around her offering a simple comfort. Blake couldn’t help but feel an urge to protect the image in front of her.

She’d guard it fiercely, if that’s what it took.

These were the sorts of moments that her life had become now. In spite of a great many things she refused to give a voice to when Yang inquired about it, she could feel the palatable awkwardness now.

The perfection of what _was_, shattering like glass around what _could be_.

Yang had broken her happy little illusion. Getting lost in those thoughts were a stifling thing too, not to mention distracting, because the next time she looked over, Ace had her eyes closed.

"She's asleep." Blake murmured.

"Yeah, drifted off a little while ago."

"Ruby?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you plan on keeping her with you tonight, or should I put her in my room?"

"I was going to lay her down in Yang's bed with me. That way if she wakes up looking for someone else, you're not all the way across the hall." Ruby stifled a yawn, a byproduct of a low aura and keeping up with a busy toddler.

"That'll work." Blake replied, letting the silence between them grow anew once more.

Ruby said nothing as Ace snuggled into her. Watching the movie and leaning comfortably against the back of the sofa. Just as the silence between them began to grow uncomfortable for Blake again, Ruby’s soft voice broke it. Popping Blake’s thoughts like bubbles upon an open sea. "Blake?"

"What?" She asked softly, her voice cracking more than she wanted it to.

"After this, want to watch the sequel?"

Such a simple question, but loaded with so many possible denials. All she had to do to end this torture was claim that she was tired and go to bed. Avoidance was that easy. Yet, Ruby’s offer compelled her to stay. To drink in this simple moment, one that had been like so many others. Unnoticeable upon the surface, but far more precious for that reason.

"Yeah, sure thing." Blake murmured, her fate sealed to the sofa for another few hours.

She would be a liar if she said that this lukewarm affection was truly what she wanted. The problem was, she couldn't afford to be greedy now. It was asking too much to expect to stop and turn her whole life's perspective on a dime.

It was too short notice…

But, she might never have more than this if she didn’t speak up.

If she never said anything, one day, someone else just might. Frankly, it was inevitable. Someone else would see Ruby as a gift, and they might be greedy enough to tell her that, fracturing any hope that Blake knew she had.

Then, Ruby would be lost to her forever. Thinking about that hurt in ways Blake had no way to describe.

Fears of lost time and opportunity were the least of her problems. Though, understanding that didn't ease the sting any less. If such realizations were so painful to her, she feared what Ruby might feel.

As with everything in her life, it came down to circumstance and priority. They had Ace to look after, that came first. Everything else had to come second. That included questionable and misguided romantic feelings for one of her best friends.

And that wasn't fair either, not to anyone.

"Ru…" The woman's name practically lodged itself in her throat. "Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

It didn't need to be anything more than the truth. That's all it had to be. "I think, I may be in love with you."

Blurting it out wasn’t the most romantic thing. Romance the furthest thing in her mind. Having said it, there was no turning back now. The culmination of years building into something tangible. Blind trust falling heavily like a stone in the pit of her gut.

Ruby's gaze shifted from the television to the golden eyed Faunus by her side. "Ditto…"

It was such a simple response, but the weight of it settled gently in that air between them.

* * *

Things were different, yet the same.

Sparks didn't fly, she wasn't swept off of her feet, the sun came up and they both went about their day as adulthood demanded. There were more questions than answers, and responsibilities always had to come first. It wasn't the right time to talk at length that night. They didn't want to risk waking Ace up by accident. The morning was filled with morning showers, breakfast, chores, and taking care of the troublesome toddler.

By afternoon, Ace had finally tuckered herself out for a nap, and they finally had a moment to themselves. Even then, they had things to do. Blake had bills to pay, and Ruby needed to make a run to the corner store. In the end of it all, there wasn't anything different about their lifestyle, not really. It just felt that way now. Blake could acknowledge the lingering touches, the glances to the side, the way Ruby hummed nonsense while she repaired her scythe for the countless time.

It wasn't a fairytale like the ones within the pages of books and across the screen. They weren't damsels in distress, and there was absolutely no reason for either one of them to entirely give up their independency. It made perfect sense to just accept things as they came. To take things slow and enjoy the day for what it was.

That's why it was so surprising that even while covered in dust, Ruby was the first one to start voicing the lingering and unspoken questions.

"Um, so why now?" It was the first thing to come flying out of her mouth, gentle, but confused. "We've gone this long without saying anything, right? So why so suddenly last night?"

"Well, why not?" Blake said, but in truth, it was her own slip of the tongue that caused it.

"Because I know you better than that." Ruby said, though her voice wavered with a hint of uncertainty. "And you know me. I've never done anything, not like this."

Blake knew that was most definitely true. Ruby was fifteen when they met. She never had a boyfriend or a girlfriend in the entire time Blake had known her. Prior conversation and gossip explained that while the elder sibling dated a little bit before Beacon, Ruby hadn't been interested in that. "Does it scare you?"

Ruby just shrugged. A soft hum slipping from her throat.

"You don't have to say if you don't want to." Blake backpedaled. "I've always wondered. I never asked, because I never really wanted the answer before now but-"

"You don't scare me." Ruby said quietly. "No matter what, I don't think you could ever scare me."

Blake nodded at that, curiosity edging into her mind. "But, what about the situation?"

Ruby looked up from her work with a hint of surprise. Gazing across the table to Blake didn’t help to clear her thoughts either. "I'm not really sure." She returned her gaze to the dust in front of her. “That’s kind of a hard question to answer.”

Blake made a soft sound of understanding, absently reaching for the mug of tea steaming beside her. “It scared me a little.”

“Really?”

“Last night, before I said anything. It was on my mind. I didn’t want to look like a fool if you didn’t return my feelings.”

“Oh…” Ruby murmured. She was busy with meticulous work. Loading dust into bullets was a needed distraction from her own mind. "I’m not afraid of it, but love can hurt people. It has the ability to make good people do bad things, and that does scare me." She hated all of the measuring, all the math, but that kind of calculation grounded her. "I've seen a lot of bad things come out of something that's supposed to be so good…"

Blake understood, ear flicking mildly as she considered that. "Yeah, you're right. We have seen a lot of negativity. My past came with plenty of it." Blake said, not even trying to deny it. "You've seen a lot of good too, though."

"Totally." Ruby nodded. "It doesn't make me less scared though."

"I don't want you to be scared."

"I don't either, but I am." Silver eyes looked up from her work, hesitancy cracking through the otherwise soft blink that steadied her. "I don't want to screw up."

"We're both going to do something wrong by accident eventually. We may not want to, but it is going to happen." Blake broke the gaze first. If experience in life and romance combined told her anything, it was that occasional failings was a promised guarantee. "We just have to be ready to deal with it the best we can when it does."

"Are you really okay with that?" Ruby asked shyly, squinting down at her measurements one final time.

It was Blake's turn to waver. “I…”

Her past track record in relationships was one big mess after another. It was absolutely nothing to be proud of. Even the most stable ones that didn't include extremist organizations had ended in disappointment. Her breakup with Sun Wukong was the easiest. Mutual and quiet. She'd had a short fling with Yang too, but it was experimental and they both knew it wasn't meant to last. Even those breakups were damaging to her in their own personal ways.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Ruby.” Blake finally settled with saying when everything else couldn’t measure up.

“But, you think you might?” Ruby asked, looking up at her with sincere gunmetal eyes.

“It’s not that simple…” Was she okay with knowing she could possibly hurt Ruby? No, not in the slightest, but she couldn't let the past hold her back. "I’d never try to do anything to hurt you. Let's just say, I'm prepared to make a few mistakes...and that, you should be too."

Ruby went back to loading bullets with dust. "At least you have experience. I don't have anything like that, I've never even kissed anyone before. I never really wanted to…" Ruby trailed off.

"That's true too, I suppose, but that doesn't put me off." Blake looked around, the kitchen was hardly the place. "Although, the only way to get experience is to actually do it." It wasn't in the least bit romantic. Especially now, with the table filled with an assortment of dusts and empty rounds. Then again, perfection was always going to be overrated. "Do you want to?"

Ruby very nearly dropped the vial of dust she was holding. "Um." Her cheeks reddened at the thought. It wasn't the offer she was expecting, and truth be told, she knew it was quite visible that her brain had entirely derailed. "Like right now, while I'm covered in a flammable stuff? Or, like later, when I'm not, and won't blow up the house?"

Blake let out a soft laugh at that, shaking her head. Ruby's expression alone was entirely worth the question. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'd rather not call Weiss and tell her we've ignited the kitchen…"

“Okay…” Ruby said her mouth suddenly very dry. “Right, uh, later it is then…”

* * *

Let it not be said that Ruby Rose was a coward. She was many things, but a coward wasn't one of them. In fact, it was Ruby's bravery that stuck out the most in her youth, when her shy personality often worked against her. Blake recalled her first impression of the girl, which, at the time was exactly what Ruby was. A girl who was far too young to be attending Beacon, and far too naive for her own good. A child, Blake had called her, and Ruby had looked the part.

All of those assumptions shattered the moment that selfsame fifteen year old fearlessly beheaded a Nevermore. No child would have been able to do that. A particularly young huntress in training, yes. A child, no. Blake had always considered herself a good judge of character, but in that bone chilling moment, she had been proven terrifyingly wrong.

And, unfortunately for Blake's self-sense of pride, she was wrong about all of her teammates. Ruby was not just a naive little girl. Weiss was not just a pampered, bratty heiress. Yang was not just laughter and smiles, blind of judgement, and of hardship…no. Blake had been so entirely and completely wrong.

So, she shouldn't have been surprised to be proven wrong again as Ruby straddled her lap. An action that was both alarming, and yet so very welcome. It was late, Ace was asleep in Yang's bed, surrounded by pillows and blankets to keep her safe and warm.

"I don't have dust on me anymore." Ruby said quietly.

"No, you don't." Blake said, inhaling the lingering scents of soap, shampoo, and body butter. All of it from the same line, a very gentle and soothing floral scent that wouldn't disturb the delicate nose of the Faunus using it. Her throat suddenly very dry as she realized Ruby had used her products. "Ruby, did you…" Blake nipped on her own tongue. That was a stupid question, of course she did.

"Ace sneezes whenever I use my stuff." Ruby replied. "You've never complained, but somehow I get the feeling that my body wash and shampoo are too harsh for you two."

That…

Well…

That wasn't entirely wrong. It was overpowering and detracted from Ruby's natural scent. Blake pushed the inherent eroticism of the act away, Ruby had no idea just how intoxicating such an admission was to the primal corner of her brain.

"Mm. Right." The distracted reply was all she could offer at that moment, as the obvious fact of the matter smacked her rationality askew again.

Ruby Rose was sitting in her lap, facing her, and the intention was quite clear. She wanted attention and no book was going to get in the way of that. In case it hadn't been crystal clear though, the obvious invitation that followed left no question. "Ace is asleep, so no interruptions."

"For a short while." Blake agreed, her book all but forgotten. "Um, Ruby…this is all just a bit forward, don't you think?"

"I've sat on your lap before." Ruby said with a shrug.

"Well, yes, but...” Schooling her frazzled brain back into some clobbered and congealed form of propriety was not an easy thing to do. Not when faced with the object of her affection so close, and yet so far away. _‘Head out of the gutter, Belladonna! This is not that sort of invitation!’ _She mentally berated herself, even as the palms of her hands fell onto unusually smooth bare legs. It took every ounce of effort not to follow that path northward just to see if Ruby was equally as smooth and enticing above the knee too. Slamming her eyes shut, she settled for brutal honesty. “Ruby, I’m going to start getting ideas…”

“Oh, you were reading one of the books from the top shelf again, weren’t you?”

“Yes.” Blake deadpanned awkwardly.

“Was it a good part that I interrupted?”

Blake cracked her eye open. Met with that same shy disposition that she had come to know from her friend turned…well…was lover even the right word? Probably not, not just yet, but it was entirely adorable all the same. “Very. Here, this is what I was reading.”

Blake showed Ruby the page in question. There was no use hiding it, Ruby was well aware of Blake’s unquestionable libido. It existed as part and parcel of who she was as a person. She wasn’t as lewd and crass as Yang when asked about the subject, but she wasn’t ashamed of herself. Just like Yang, Blake was known to put her articles of clothing on door handles too...keeping people out during particularly private moments of relaxation.

This wasn’t one of those times, but if she had gotten far enough into her reading, it could have been.

“Steamy…” Ruby murmured having scanned the page.

“I know you weren’t insinuating anything such as what goes on in that book, but, regardless…” Blake trailed off. “I don’t know quite what it is that you _are_ insinuating and I don’t…” She blushed as she looked away. “I don’t want to push too far.”

“It’s just what we talked about before...I was thinking about it…” Ruby said slowly, closing the distance, pulling Blake into a hug that pressed their bodies impossibly close as she rested her forehead on Blake’s shoulder. “I’m always going to be a little nervous. If I don’t start somewhere, then we’re going to end up not starting at all, and I know for sure I don’t want to go back to the way things were before.”

Blake pulled away slightly, seeing the hopefulness at war with the worry. Innocence muddied by delusions of a woman’s desires. “Then, may I kiss you?” Blake asked, watching Ruby nod ever so slightly under the careful study of golden eyes.

It was soft, tender, nothing deep or heavy. Merely a press of lips, a wisps of escaped breath that promised more. Easy to back away from, and meet eye-to-eye once more. Then Blake wordlessly posed question, Ruby answered by another nod. The second kiss was not so gentle, and the obsidian haired woman was no longer the statue she forced herself to be. Her hands lifted, cupping a blushing cheek with her left, and running through tresses of brown and red with her right.

There was nothing innocent about this kiss, an outpouring of emotion. Her teeth nipped carefully along Ruby’s pouty lower lip, not enough to hurt, but enough to warn her that they were there. A soft rumble, not quite a purr, not exactly a growl, punctuated her sentiment, as those teeth dragged away.

The tip of her tongue dancing along the edge as she pulled away once more. Another examination, another question posed to the shivering Ruby Rose. “Are you okay?”

“Ace isn’t the only one who has sharp teeth.” Ruby laughed slightly, still entirely out of her element. Even so, she didn’t mind the outcome.

“Mm.” Blake nodded, she had sharp eye-teeth too. Powerful enough to bite through flesh without much effort. “All carnivore Faunus do. Was that too much? Do they scare you?”

Ruby seemed to think on it, but shook her head, her voice ever so quiet. “No…it’s not too much. It’s just…” She tried looking for words she couldn’t seem to find as she tucked herself into Blake. She sighed contently at the feel of that, the rightness of it all. “Can we just stay like this tonight? I don’t want to be anyplace else.”

Blake grabbed the crumpled up blanket from the edge of the bed and flung it over the both of them. It was her only answer before turning off the bedside lamp. Then she picked up a different book from the nightstand, whispering the beloved tale of the four maidens into Ruby’s ear.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: one new scene, two old scenes reworked to fit the narrative. Qrow finally enters the picture properly and will be an occasionally appearing character through the rest of the story.
> 
> Original chapter length: 1,588  
Revisited chapter length: 4,668
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 27**

When the sun came up it was business as usual. Their breakfast was interrupted with a ping on Ruby’s scroll. With her aura improving she was sent a file and orders for her upcoming mission. She didn’t have time to waste, but someone else in the household had other ideas.

“Ace get down, I have to get this done.” Ruby sighed, placing the child back onto the floor as she hunched over the long map on the coffee table. She had a mission assignment coming up and it required plenty of planning. Ruby only got so far as picking up her pen and making another short line on the map when Ace crawled back onto the sofa and began smelling her again.

“Blake, what is she doing?” Ruby asked dryly, not quite sure what had gotten into Ace this morning. She pried the little Faunus off of her for the umpteenth time in the past hour.

“Sniffing you.” Blake said simply, looking up from her book as if that were obvious.

“I get that much.” Ruby said, rolling her eyes as Ace clawed her way back up the sofa again. “I just don’t get why.”

Blake placed her bookmark into the pages, closing the tome and setting it aside. This would have come up eventually. When Ace reached a point in her life where discussions like this were going to take place. Unfortunately the time table on these sorts of topics were going to be hurried along now that Ruby couldn’t avoid the topic. Someone would have to educate her.

Blake sighed inwardly, fully realizing that there were many things Ruby never knew. Things she would have never needed to encounter, if she never lived a life among Faunus. Sharing a household with an adult was one thing, but Ace was a mere child. She was also learning the Faunus world, experiencing every new sensory detail for the first time. Curiosity had gotten the better of the little one, and Ruby had no idea why.

Well, there was no use hiding it.

“You were in my bed last night, and you haven’t taken a shower yet.” Blake told her. “You smell like me way more than usual, that’s why.”

“Uh…” Ruby blinked owlishly, as though the concept hadn’t sunk in.

Of course it hadn’t. Why would it? Ruby had no idea just what sort of smell she was giving off.

“It’s a scent thing.” Blake scratched her head awkwardly, finding the explanation hard to come by. She watched the small Faunus trying to figure the matter out for herself. Sniffing at the both of them, Ace was probably confused. Ruby would be nose-blind for the entirety of her life. Unable to understand the communication that could be left behind by smell alone. “You used my hygiene stuff last night, and then you spent all night in bed with me. Ace can smell that…”

“She can smell what, exactly?” Ruby murmured, brows furrowed.

“That our scents have been mixed, and mine is all over you right now.” Blake told her. “It’s only going to mix more when I eventually start marking you.”

“Yeah, about that…” Ruby trailed off, looking down at Ace and then back to Blake. “Is this going to be a common thing? Faunus just sniffing me randomly like this?”

“It’s not random, Ruby.” Blake said with a small laugh in spite of herself. “Little kids might take an obvious sniff or two, though. Ace will be doing it a lot at first, but she will get used to it eventually.”

“Okay…” Ruby trailed off, concern obvious on her face.

“Adults are more subtle about it, but there’s not really a way to hide scent marking.” Blake told her, the bluntness of it all merely a fact of Faunus life. “If you’re marked at all, any Faunus that comes close enough to you will notice it. Faunus don’t habitually seek humans as mates. It happens sometimes, but not often. Adults learn to ignore smells that don’t directly involve them, but kids are curious. Ace is just trying to understand why you smell so different all of a sudden.”

“But, you haven’t marked me, have you?”

That was a loaded question. One that needed to be handled with absolute care. She had never needed to explain the matter to a human before. It was awkward to explain to someone who would never need to utilize those deeper messages at all in her life.

“Probably not in the way you’re thinking…” Blake trailed off slowly. “Ruby, everyone leaves behind a scent, even humans. It’s like when Weiss wears perfume, or Yang using that deodorant that smells like citrus before she goes on dates. You do it all the time too, like when you use your semblance and everything smells like roses. That’s scent. You know intuitively by those smells who was just passing by the room. Faunus have a keener sense of smell, so for us, scent runs deeper. We communicate with it.”

It was hard to describe, and likely for Ruby, harder to decipher. She wasn’t quite sure what that look on Ruby’s face truly meant. It was a mix of careful contemplation and anxiety. Gunmetal eyes looking over at Ace once again before averting her gaze from both of the Faunus entirely. The map was an easier thing to look at. Her mind tried to unravel the mystery being laid in front of her, but she had difficulty.

Blake rubbed her eyes before shaking her head. “I would mark anything just brushing hands with something. It’s not like I can keep all my scent off of you, but I haven’t intentionally claimed you, either.” Blake said, though she had to admit that the urge was difficult to ignore. “Although, that’s probably why Ace is so confused.”

“You want to, though, don’t you?” Ruby asked, finding her voice unsteadily. “Claim me… Or mark me, or… whatever it is?”

“Hmm, I don’t think _want_ is the right word for it.” Blake said after a moment to think. “It’s more complicated than just wanting to. There’s part of it that’s simply logic, and part that’s primal instinct. I’m not sure where one ends and the other begins. It might be better to say that I feel inclined to do it, like all Faunus do. Mind you, that doesn’t exactly mean that I should. Instincts will always be baser in nature, and they’re separate from rational action.”

“But, you could mark me…if you wanted…without me knowing.” Ruby surmised not entirely sure how she felt about that.

“Well, to mark you like that, you’d kind of have to know.” Blake said, blushing lightly at the implication. “Actually it would be impossible for you not to know at that point. Marking mates requires us to…” Blake cut herself off looking at Ruby a bit shyly. “See, this is the kind of stuff covered in the marking class for older kids. In order to mark someone as a mate, you have to actually be mating…as in having sex…pheromones would end up mixing on our bodies when we do that, and the result is that other Faunus know you’re taken.”

“So, how do I smell right now?” Ruby questioned.

That was easier to answer.

“Right now, we’re marked as kinfolk. Friendly, and part of the same inner circle.” Well, easier until Blake came to another little awkward truth. “Although, I should probably warn you, if we share hygiene products, Faunus are going to know you’re dating me. Combining scent is part of Faunus society, particularly when dating. Ace is just confused because she has absolutely no concept of that.”

“Oh…” Ruby plucked up her pen in record speed, eyes fixed on the map uncomfortably.

“Yeah…” Blake said under her breath, her tea the ample distraction she needed from the bright red blush growing across Ruby’s face.

* * *

As much as Blake felt a small level of sympathy for Ruby in regard to Faunus habits, Blake had to admit the same was also true in reverse. She had no idea how humans properly dated one another. There were a few things she could put together based on her plethora of reading material and simple conjecture. The problem came with digging deeper, thinking how to apply that knowledge without making some sort of unfathomable error.

She had been honest about not wanting to hurt Ruby. Yet, she had no idea if her own lack of experience on the matter would be a problem or not.

Her only experience dating humans was with Yang. That was no baseline for a normal relationship. They had a few off handed dates, but they always ended up in the bedroom anyway. Yang was experienced, and knew exactly what she wanted. Sexual gratification came easy to the both of them. It was also long in the past, left behind like so many other youthful idiocies were.

Buried deep in history simply labeled as Beacon, it was a memorable time, surely. A time Blake would never allow herself to forget. However, it also held many little details never to be repeated. Rightfully so, in retrospect.

Still, there was only one person that she could think to call, and she knew she would regret every second of it.

"Soo then, you and Ruby are a thing now?"

"Yes, Yang…" Blake sighed as she rolled her eyes. "If you have to put it that way."

"What other way is there to put it?" Yang asked, feet up on her desk as she leaned back on the legs of the chair. She tilted the scroll in her one hand to face her, while the other acted as a pillow for her head.

"I don't know..." Blake trailed, a hint of aggravation in her tone. "Something more respectable, such as in a relationship, or seeing each other..."

Yang snickered. "Not that you haven't seen it all before."

"Yang, damn it." Blake rolled her eyes. "I thought we were going to have an actual conversation about this."

"What do you want me to do, Blake, give you the 'hurt Ruby and die' speech? We both know it doesn't work like that, especially not for you guys." From the visual feed, Yang could see Ace guarding a long slender box. "Uh, Blake, is that the cling wrap?"

"The tinfoil box." Blake said as she looked over her shoulder. Ace was protecting her treasure mercilessly. "It's empty, and I pulled off the mental that was on the outside. She's been obsessed with it ever since I let her have it. Now back to what we were talking about before, stop being a pain in the butt."

"It's fine with me." Yang laughed as she popped herself back upright with a thud. "I don't care that you're dating Ruby, you have my blessing and all that jazz obviously... This is going to be so much fun."

"Yang!"

"Alright, alright, and I swear I won't tease the crap out of my little sister." Yang finished. "Are you happy now?"

"Slightly appeased, yes." Blake murmured. "That doesn't answer my question, though."

"Okay, look, I'll level with you…outside from the obvious physical things, there isn't anything the two of you haven't done together already that a couple wouldn't do…right?"

"I suppose…"

"So, then, been there done that, have the t-shirt, right?" Yang continued. "Just, you know, take it slow with her. I can’t really give you advice beyond that. I mean, I never really put a lot of thought into dating. If it was fun, I did it. If it wasn’t, I didn’t go with that person again. I mean, you know things always end up in the sack for me… Uh, maybe just test the waters a little?"

Blake let loose a long suffering sigh. "When I brought up the matter of being delicate about intimacy, I wasn't asking for sex tips."

"I'd hope to god not!" Yang interjected. "I meant go slow dating her, I wasn’t talking about doing..._that_..."

"Knowing your brain, who knew what the heck you were thinking?" Blake's only comfort in all of it was Yang's deeply disturbed expression. She decided to simply spell it out to avoid any more awkwardness. "Yang...do you remember Beacon…whenever you and I tried to get a moment of peace, and then someone would barge in on us?"

Yang chuckled then. "Oh...oh okay...can't find a little you-two time with Ace around, huh?"

"One could say that." Blake said as her ears curled a bit in her shyness, she had something she wanted to ask Yang directly, but it was still awkward. "We were lucky enough to have last night to ourselves, but Ace has a nose and her curiosity is a little too off-putting to Ruby. She’s been following Ruby around all day."

"What'd she do, get in-between you two while you were canoodling or something?"

"No, thank god." Blake said while rolling her eyes. "She's sniffing at us a lot more than usual. Ruby's obviously uncomfortable with Ace having any sort of sensory input of the situation. Even if she's too little to fully understand what her nose is telling her."

"Yeah, no shit. I'd be uncomfortable too if I were her...no offense."

"None taken." Blake brushed off simply. "However, that's kind of the point I'm trying to make. I don't think Ruby would be all that fond of you knowing what exactly we get up to, either. It would mean a lot to me if we reconsidered sleeping arrangements around the house. Ruby stayed in my bed with me last night. It's a trend I don't want to break, but I know she's not going to want to share the bed with me if you're in the room."

"Honestly, kind of don't want to see that either. Might be innocent now, sure as hell isn't going to be later.” A somewhat disgusted look crossed Yang’s face even considering it. “Right, so, to save us all the mental scarring, maybe just move my shit in with Weiss, and I'll bunk with her." Yang said after some thought. "We bunk here as it is, so why not at home too, right?"

"But is she okay with that?" Blake asked. "It's everyone's house, not just mine and Ruby's."

"I'll ask."

"Please don't bellow…" Too late, her ears flattened back preemptively.

"Weiss!"

Her ears were ringing, and she grit her teeth. "Sometimes, I really, really I hate you."

"About to hate me even more, Blakey, but I promise you'll love me again soon enough." Yang winked.

"What do you want now?" Weiss sighed a moment later as she came into view, hands on her hips in exasperation.

"Ruby and Blake are on the verge of fucking and-"

"Stop!" Weiss ordered, palm firmly planted over Yang's mouth. "Not another word, Xiao Long. Don't even finish that sentence. If you do, I'll freeze your mouth closed, understood?" Her friend nodded. Weiss very slowly moved her hand, as if she didn't trust Yang to keep quiet. "Now would either one of you like to try that again?"

"Certainly-" Yang said before Weiss cut her off.

"_Without_ being crass." She ordered, wagging a finger. "I meant what I said about freezing your mouth shut."

"Right…" Yang nodded. "Well, to put it least crassly, Nora owes us fifty lien each, and Pyrrha and I had a side bet, so now she's got to throw down."

"Oh my god! You made betting pools." Blake said, one hand hiding her face. "Yang, you complete ass…"

"I promised not to tease Ruby. I never said I wasn't going to harass the hell out of you." Yang grinned, not at all remorseful about the dual blushes painting her friend's cheeks. Blake out of mortification, and Weiss for being so scandalized at the thoughts turning around in her head. She turned back to Weiss. "Wasn't exactly kidding though, they're together-together, as Nora would say."

"And you needed to tell me this right now, in the middle of our shift?" Weiss shot back.

"Err, well, I mean, not trying to be gross but sex is only a matter of time.” Yang shrugged. “It makes sense to give them the same room. Then we don't have to deal with it, right? I was thinking I could bunk with you."

"Yes, well when you put it that way…" Weiss said, clearing her throat. "Blake you have my blessing to switch out Ruby's things for Yang's. Now then, I propose that we forget this conversation ever happened."

Blake also swallowed down her own embarrassment. "Agreed." She said solemnly. "Right, Yang?"

"Yeah, yeah…I hear you Blakey." Yang said with a small smirk. "But as both your ex-girlfriend and Ruby's big sister, I still get to drive you nuts."

* * *

Qrow found himself looking down at an empty glass.

There was no more reason to avoid the matter. He knew that. He’d been putting it off for far too long, but scrounging up the effort to make himself presentable was no easy task. Qrow stuffed his hands into his pockets. Traversing the landscape had done him no good. Raven was still dead, and life was moving on without her.

As a man, he had two choices. Own up to the loss and accept it, or go find another bottle to drown in.

It was a battle he’d found himself fighting more than once over the news of Raven’s passing. The facts unchanging no matter how many times he blacked out from his stupor. He would only to wake and find the same obituary glaring at him in the face. He liked to think he was a master at accepting loss. It wasn’t the first person in his life that had left him behind, but, it was the first time he lost a sibling.

The _only_ time he ever would.

That spoke to him. It squeeze his heart in the way that Summer’s loss never could. Hers had been painful, too. He didn’t have the luxury to truly mourn back then. With her legacy left behind and two small girls in need of care, Qrow couldn’t bring himself to fully cope with Summer’s loss. He never allowed himself to do that. Taiyang was broken enough for the both of them, unable to look after his daughters, let alone himself. Qrow had stepped up then, in a haze of booze and a scrap of prayer, trying to cobble the family back together into some sort of recognizable form.

He never could figure out if he managed to accomplish that or not.

Taiyang finally got himself clean, took over the role of a father once again. Things went on, for better and worse, and time began to soothe away the ailing hearts of two little girls who were far too good for this world. That they grew older into would-be huntresses was Taiyang’s worst nightmare come to life, and that had come with its own set of troubles, but as a family they made it through.

The same could not be said this time around.

History had not just repeated, it had contorted into an absolute hell. Raven’s death was nothing like Summer’s, and the child she left behind was no bearer to the family legacy at all. Not this time. What she left behind was nothing more than the whispers of a ghost, and a child who no-one knew about until it was too late. She hadn’t given them a gift born of love, she had saddled them with forced responsibility.

It wasn’t fair, none of it was.

Qrow tried to find peace with it, tried to square away bitter memories and painful realizations. He turned to scripture, and when that failed him, he dove to the archives of history. Anything, everything, to find some measure of peace. There was nothing soothing in any of it.

Only the bottle, and the few hours that it numbed his mind enough to sleep away from grief.

He wanted something better than this. Better than all of it, but to do that he’d need to choose the other option. So, in spite of every urge he had to just pour another shot, he dumped a pile of lien on the bar instead. Then he hobbled out into the streets, making his way along, his cloudy thoughts raining in his mind.

Cat Faunus were prone to fear. Young ones were easily startled, and new things were very, very intimidating. As curious as young ones could be, they were also easily spooked by strange and new situations. With sensitive little noses and acute hearing, even the most adventuresome Faunus child normally wasn't keen to stray too far away from the safety of their parents. Children also had a mind to be aggressive in their fear, particularly to strangers that they'd never met before.

So, enter in Qrow. A boorish, crude, loud man. He reeked of booze, and had a propensity to ruffle up someone's hair as a form of affection. It amounted to a recipe for one very upset little girl.

The man that smelled kin was the furthest from it that Ace had ever experienced. The once pleasant and overjoyed greeting turned sour. Ace snarled from under the sofa, peeking out from the space between Blake's legs to hiss and spit in Qrow's general direction. Then she began cowering back behind her protector's legs again as soon as Qrow moved even the slightest bit.

"What the hell was that for?" Qrow asked, looking at his newly mauled hand as it began to heal. He brushed the droplet of blood on his pants, numbly considering just how sharp her little teeth were. "Damn, kid's as bitchy as her mother."

"It's her ears." Blake said with a glower, shooting daggers with her eyes. He meant well, there was no evil, racist, or harmful intention in the act itself. He greeted Ruby the same way in her younger years, and Blake knew that. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of annoyance all the same. "You can't just squash them down and jostle them with your hand like that, it hurts."

"Wish someone would have told me." He shrugged, plopping himself down in the armchair.

"You would have known if you would have come here sooner." Blake growled, uncaring that the rumble carried into her words. She was too angry at him to care. Too frustrated with the way he had gone missing to mind that her eyes were beginning to slit in her anger. So few people could push her into such a rage, but if anyone deserved that wrath turned on him, it was this man. "Where in the hell have you been?!”

“Old man Oz had me on a mission.”

Of course. A perfect excuse, but she refused to heed it. “Don't give me that Ozpin spiel, I'm not buying it."

"Honestly, it was Ozpin." Qrow replied. "Raven pronounced dead? Couldn't believe it until I saw it. Even then, I had to look into it. You don't kill a person like her and come out of it unscathed.” The man groused, still no closer to wrapping his head around the fact that his sister was dead and gone. He’s spent too many months at the bottom of the bottle, soul searching for answers that would never come. “That's like trying to take down one of you kids. Someone might win one day, but not without getting their ass kicked first."

"That's real nice.” Blake told him, anger leaking into her voice. Dry, and unrelenting as she eyed him. “Meanwhile, Ruby and Yang were having a breakdown, and Weiss and I were powerless to help. Now you show up, and Ruby’s not even here right now."

"Blake, ease the hell up. You know just as well as I do. Some shit just isn't meant to be taken at face value.” He rubbed his face, the desire for a stiff drink nearly consuming him once more. “I had to be sure she was really gone.”

“She’s gone… Trust me…”

“Yeah, but I had to be sure.” Qrow muttered between his teeth. “Needed to sort it all out. I had to be sure that she didn't fake it to cover her tracks. Even more than that, I needed to make sure whatever the hell it was ended there. That there weren't bigger things headed after Yang, or Ruby, or that one."

"Her name is Ace."

"Yeah, yeah…I know…"

"Qrow, this is serious." Blake frowned then, sighing. "This is your niece…your flesh and blood, and where's Taiyang been? I kept calling him and calling him, and he wouldn’t answer. I finally gave up. Yang and Ruby did too. You don’t want to know what I think about that."

"He's in the bottle…” Qrow said quietly. “It’s worse than when summer died. Whenever the girls show up, he just bolts out the back and hides in the woods behind the house. Found him passed out that way a few times. Jackass could have gotten himself killed."

"He what?" Blake nearly hissed.

“Ya heard me.” Qrow bit out. "Tai loved Raven… He loved her more than she ever really deserved. I know her distance from Yang is unforgiveable, but she had her reasons. Damn it, I never understood them myself, but she was fighting her own personal war. Something we couldn't help her with. She shut all of us out." Qrow didn't make excuses for it. He hated her for it too. "She pushed us away, but Tai loved her in spite of all that. Summer loved her too, and god damn it, my sister loved them. Thing is, kid, in Raven's head that wasn't good enough."

"Qrow, focus…" Blake snapped. "What do you mean, Taiyang is in the bottle?"

"Like I just said. He waited for Raven to come home. Instead she went off and fucked another man and had his baby, and then she died. He waited for her, all for nothing." Qrow said, his words so full of anger that they were cold, quiet, and empty. "Tai doesn't deal well with pain. He did the only thing he knew how to do. He had a drink. One leads to another, and another. You know how the story goes. He's a recovering drunk who fell off the wagon, and there's no reason for him to get his ass back on it this time."

"He does too have a reason, Yang and Ruby need him."

"No they don't, kid."

"Yes they do!"

"Blake, they're not babies." Qrow said softly his tone harsh, but fair. "They haven't needed him in a long time, not like he needs to be needed to stay clean and sober. He hasn't come here because he's afraid to see the little squirt. Yang and Ruby have hearts that go on for miles, full of love and acceptance, but Taiyang isn't like that. Break a man too much, and he forgets how to love, and nurture, and care for another."

"That isn't an excuse."

"No, it's a damn good reason." Qrow shot back.

"I don't see how it could be.

"Asking a man to find love in his soul for another man's child isn't an easy thing to ask. At least not when, as he says it, 'it could have been his'." Qrow chided darkly. "It might have been one thing if Raven had brought the baby back with her. Maybe then, he could have accepted the fact that she wasn't as faithful to him as he and Summer were to her. Problem is, Raven's death, that finality and no goodbye…” Qrow trailed off, running a hand over his head as he cursed under his breath. “That was the final straw that broke him."

"Then why not at least tell that to Yang?"

"He's in too much pain to articulate anything. Yang looks at this kid and sees a baby sister, but Taiyang is afraid he's going to see betrayal…” Qrow knew that feeling too well. “Hell, I felt the same way." Qrow shook his head. He didn't expect Blake to understand. He hoped she never did. "It's why I kept my distance for so long. Why I didn't want to come around while Ruby and Yang were here. If I looked at that kiddo and felt nothing but hate towards her, I couldn't bear it if Ruby or Yang saw me like that."

"And how do you feel about her now?"

"Indifferent.”

“Qrow…” Blake sighed. “She’s your niece.”

“Nah.” He murmured under his breath. “Just a kid. No big deal.”

“It’s huge deal!”

“It’s the same way I felt when they shoved Yang in my arms the first time. I'd just gotten back from a mission, and she was about a week old. Her eyes were still that glassy baby blue...hadn't changed yet. I get her in my arms and she takes the biggest shit known to man, all up the back and out the diaper. Raven, the naturally charming woman she was, laughed her ass off." At this, he pulled out his flask and took a large gulp.

He looked down at Ace, sighing. "I better go. Tell Ruby and Yang I'll be stopping by in-between missions, but that Tai needs time."


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: Four scenes re-worked. Some have been moved or shifted.
> 
> Original chapter length: 1,654  
Revisited chapter length: 3,630
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 28**

Nighttime was beginning to be a new adventure in bravery in Ruby's life. As a woman with newly vested and romantic interest, she was quick to melt under Blake's gentle and guiding hands. Ruby's head was swimming. It all felt so good. Blake's body pressed up against hers in a heated kiss that stole her breath away. She was starting to love it, the feel of those sharp teeth that toyed with her lower lip, tugging ever so gently to ask for entry.

The kiss growing deeper in mind-numbing fervor when the shallow tease of Blake's slightly rough tongue toyed with her own. The sensation was thrilling, very new still, but exciting all the same. Blake's affections were as human as they were cat-like. Her kisses, which were most definitely human, came with the sounds of purring, which was surely not.

There was a sense of feral, untamed passion in the Faunus, eyes slitting in the darkness and gleaming in the shadows.

Ruby was always careful where her hands wandered, fingers trailing tentatively across fabric and heated skin. She focused on the kiss, of Blake's body pressed against her own. The heat pooling, the feeling of arousal. She began to sink into the emotion of the act entirely, until she startled herself, seeing cat's eyes looking back at her again.

Ruby cursed in a small sound as she broke the kiss breathlessly. Eyes closed as she clung onto Blake as though life itself depended on it. It was so intense, too intense, too soon.

There was something about the fingers on her hip, knowing Blake's nails could become sharp claws in an instant. It was unsettling in combination with the softness of the rumbling in Blake's chest, and that catlike gaze. Those predatory eyes were the last straw. Ruby understood it was inherently natural. Something that Blake's body seemed to do on its own when otherwise occupied. Blake would never hurt her, not with her claws, or her fangs.

That was the logical conclusion, but, seeing those feral features would take some getting used to.

"Do you need to stop?" Blake asked, feeling Ruby nod wordlessly into her shoulder. It wasn't the first time this had happened. That had been the other night when Ruby glued herself upon Blake's lap in a refusal to move. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" She felt more than heard the muffled response that no, Blake hadn't hurt her.

It was hard to believe, especially when a shiver tore through Ruby’s spine like butter.

"Ruby…" Blake’s voice was gentle, ever so much so. "What's wrong?"

It was obviously the wrong thing to ask, because she felt Ruby tense up even more. Curling inward, both into herself, and into Blake. Very carefully, lost with what to do, she pulled away enough to glimpse into silver eyes. What she saw there concerned her. Laced within those metal pools there was nothing short of anxiety, guilt, and something else. An emotion that Blake was very intimately acquainted with herself.

Shame.

She huffed out a small breath, letting Ruby bury herself back into Blake's embrace once more. They stayed like that for several long, agonizing moments. "I don't know why." Ruby began when she pulled away, the statement obviously coming from an internal struggle. Something that was itself a tornado. "I don't… Your eyes… I…" Ruby shook her head. "I wasn't expecting them to get like that."

She blinked several times in confusion before it dawned on her. "Aroused?" Blake voiced, feeling as though she was dancing along cracked eggshells.

"Oval slits...like..."

"A cat." Blake finished for her gently. There was nothing more than fact in her tone, simple and unguarded.

Ruby nodded, those pools of molten gold had already returned to normal. Ruby desperately wished they'd stay that way. "It's…not just that…it's everything else too. I'm not used to this. To myself, or to you, or to any of _this_."

"But you do get that way too." Blake observed, the evidence was clear as day to her nose. It was in the salty, heady scent that ghosted along Ruby's skin, a fragrance all its own. Like fire crackling and snapping beneath the other soft scents Ruby had inadvertently picked up going about her day. "What do you normally do, once you are?"

"I wait for it to go away.” Ruby told her. “I try not to be."

Blake bit the inside of her cheek. It was probably too soon to ask, but the question bubbled and twisted itself outward and into the freedom of the air. "You don't touch yourself…at all?"

Ruby shook her head. "I don't…"

"Why not?"

"It's…" Ruby doubted there was a right way to explain, finally she settled with a shrug. "I don't know, maybe something's just wrong with me."

Blake frowned, brows crunching up in confusion. "Nothing's wrong with you…" Blake said pulling her close once more, feeling her shiver in response. "Ruby, I promise, there's nothing wrong…"

"I get that." Ruby said quietly, embarrassment in her tone. "I've tried, but I think to myself that I'm alone. That I don't _want_ to be alone. If that's true, trying to fiddle with myself is stupid, so what's the point?" Ruby asked with a shrug. "Then I get stuck thinking of it all. The stuff I always hear, like that I have to be able to love myself before I love others. Masturbating is healthy, everyone does it, and I should do it too. That the person I choose to be with will never know what I like, unless I know what to tell them..."

"Well…" Blake coughed, she'd heard Yang and Coco spout some similar things in the past. Blake knew she most certainly had, especially during a few choice fights when Weiss had barged into the dorm unannounced. Living in a dorm had made personal time a luxury, and there was no avoiding that. The arguments were natural considering that four women were forced into sharing a single dorm. Ruby had seen and heard many of those arguments, even the ones that weren't aimed at her. "Well, it is sage advice, I suppose."

"More like one big laundry list of social pressure." Ruby said despondently.

"Mm. It can be." Blake replied. "Ruby, this is a common anxiety. It's not just you. Plus, not every bit of advice is going to work for everyone, and I certainly never touched myself before I lost my virginity. Mind you, I was much younger. It’s like you said, we all start somewhere, or we don't start at all. Before, it just wasn't a positive experience to you."

"Well, I guess I've beaten that into my head hard enough that I started to believe it…”

Blake had no idea what to say to that. She’d never had someone lacking confidence in that department, and facing that down now was a new battle of wits.

“I should want to feel aroused by you, right?" Ruby asked darkly. "But, I'm already nervous, and then when your eyes turn all…" Ruby shrugged, looking away again. "My reflex is to stop, because what if you're…not you? I started thinking about that, and freaked myself out."

"Is that was you glued yourself to me after we kissed that first night?"

"Yeah."

"So I did scare you…"

"It wasn't you." Ruby insisted. "It's me. I'm just an idiot."

"Did it ever occur to you that Faunus manage to scare themselves over their own instincts all the time?" Blake asked her softly, watching as Ruby shook her head. "We do, more often than you might think. Honestly, I'd be more worried if seeing me like that didn't bother you on some level at first."

"I don't want to be bothered by it." Ruby announced in quiet protest.

“As comforting as that is to hear, it’s probably normal for you to be discomforted by it. I don’t know that for a fact, but, I can make the educated guess that it is…” Blake trailed off, wondering how best to phrase it. Nothing came to mind. "I'm a predator Faunus, and that takes some getting used to. Even I manage to surprise myself sometimes, that's what happens when instinct doesn't fall in line with rational thinking. Don't push yourself too far out of your comfort zone for my sake. I don't want that."

“I will get used to it.” Ruby said. “Like everything else.”

“I don’t doubt it…” Blake said, propping herself up on her side, chin and cheek resting in the palm of her hand. "More importantly, don't think so hard about all the other stuff. It's not as big a deal as everyone makes it sound. If I can hold you in my arms whenever I want, that's enough for me..."

"But the marking thing..."

"Can wait." Blake told her, amber eyes sliding away to look at the rumpled sheets around them. "I'm in any hurry, and I don't want to be."

* * *

As huntresses, they were in their prime, but keeping up a rigorous training routine didn’t hurt either. Yang made a point to spend much of her time in the gym, it was her favorite place to be along the wall. It just so happened that Pyrrha also visited with the same frequency, though her visits were usually shorter.

"So, is she tall, or short?" Yang asked, trying to pry information out of her friend.

"Her figure is more than adequate." Pyrrha refuted, unwilling to drop a trail of breadcrumbs so easily. Yang was smart, and Pyrrha didn't particularly want her catching on.

"Stop being coy…taller or shorter than you?"

"Shorter."

This was the new game that Yang had come up with to pass the long hours by while at the gym. Barbells in hand, she focused her training. "Makes sense, you are tall for a chick…so, eye color?"

"Unfair advantage." Pyrrha shot back. "Yang I told you, you can't ask the sort of questions that would give her away."

"Its fine, I think I've got it anyway. You've got a thing for Weiss." Yang said, earning a set of green eyes gawking at her from across the divide. "What? Not hard to figure out."

"I'm…listening…" Pyrrha said slowly.

"Well, you're not exactly a social butterfly, even if you know how to act like one. It's a chick, and it's not me…Nora's all over Ren, but she's not judgmental. You know Blake's been around the block with a few women, so can't be her. Coco's not hiding what she does with Fox and Velvet. They are so open they were notorious back in Beacon. Isn't Ruby, she hangs all over everyone in JNPR, and I've never seen you act weird when she hugs you."

"That still doesn't explain how you came to such a conclusion so quickly." Pyrrha said, sitting up from the weight bench she had been laying on. "For all you know, I do entertain other friends."

"Weiss is the only one you'll spend all night drinking a bottle of wine with. You two talk a lot, and before you go getting all weird on me, she's also the only person we all know that buries her sexuality under the rug." Yang said softly. "And between you and me, Weiss is flaming. There's not a hint of male anatomy in her porn stash. It's as lesbian and vanilla as you could get."

"I'm sure that was meant to be personal information." Pyrrha protested.

"You've heard worse from Nora."

"Then I will tell you the same thing I repeatedly tell her." Pyrrha sighed with a shake of her head. "Language filter. Use it."

"I've filtered it just fine, you're not exactly a gossip risk." Yang said, which Pyrrha had to agree was more than a little true.

"Even so, that's hardly information to be spreading around." Pyrrha chastised gently. "Suppose she finds that information very personal, you've now just aired it publicly."

"Yeah to you…but the bet still goes." Yang said. "You really should just ask her out on a date."

"Ask who out on a date?" Jaune asked, having overheard part of the conversation as he stepped out of the men's locker room.

"No one, Jaune." Pyrrha said, lairing at her friend. "Yang's being...Yang."

* * *

Living in such a small shared living space was weird when there were men around. Normally she was the one turning heads and causing shouting from across the room to put some clothes on. Bunking with someone as prim and proper as Weiss was all sorts of fun in Beacon. Yang made a habit of stripping herself down to nothing in the middle of the room only to see her female teammates flustered. Now, the tables were turned. With an upraised brow of surprise, she gawked at the eye-candy that strutted across the room as if Fox owned the place.

Yang was no longer the target of ire for the heiress…this man, however, was.

The men of team CFVY weren't shy in the least, or so it seemed. Fox tossed his towel on his bed letting it all hang out for the world to see. Thankfully, that world only currently consisted of Yang and Coco. It took no time at all for Coco to let out a low whistle, wearing a smirk that said she was more than satisfied with her man.

"Uh, Fox, you do know I'm in here, right?" Yang asked, grabbing one of her paperbacks out of her personal shelf by the bed. Not that she didn't appreciate the unexpected view, but she made a habit of trying not to ogle people who were already taken, man or woman…and Fox, he was already completely committed to Coco and Velvet. "Not that I really care or anything, but, just a heads up."

"You're not a prude." He deadpanned, pulling on a pair of boxers. "Be different in Schnee was around. No one wants to hear her screeching bloody murder again."

"Point." The blonde replied, slightly less focused on managing where her eyes wandered now that he was back to being partially covered. "But, uh, I mean, I know you can't see worth a damn, but I can. Don't know if you want me looking away or something when you do that."

"Beacon rules, I say." Coco said offhandedly. "If you don't want to be ogled, keep it covered. If someone's walking around naked, and you don't want to see, don't look. Though trying to tell that to Fox is completely pointless."

"It's just a dick, not anything either of your two haven't seen before." He said, climbing up into Coco's bunk. "Only one I need to worry about is Schnee, and she's off with Nikos and Arc again."

"Weiss and Pyrrha, interesting and Jaune too..." Coco trailed off. "Hey Yang, do they go missing together a lot?"

"Kind of, I guess." Yang shrugged, putting her reading down. "Why?"

"Just wondering how many couples we've got going on here." Coco said honestly.

"Oh, well, they're not." Yang replied conversationally. "They're just good friends. Besides, Jaune doesn't have that kind of game. Good man, don't get me wrong, just not the kind that could keep up with two girls at once. Why were you wondering something like that anyway?"

"Well, damn, way to trample the issue." Coco laughed. "The broom closet isn't that big. If we can find some way to move the hanky-panky in here, I'm going to try for it. I figured if we had enough people in the same boat, we might be able to reach an agreement about some private time after shift."

"Oh my god." Yang gawked, humor dancing in her eyes and she tried to hold back her snickering. "You guys didn't actually use that tiny square hell hole, did you?"

"We did." Fox confirmed.

"Good god, you all must be flexible." Yang praised, wagging an eyebrow playfully. Having seen the cramped space for herself, she knew it couldn't have been easy.

"There is nothing wrong with a lunch time quickie, I have needs." Coco said in defense of her active relationship with her two lovers. "That, and…hey Yang, real talk?"

"Okay." Yang nodded, rolling onto her side, and taming her amusement to reasonable level. "Real talk."

"Velvet gets insecure about what others think. The three of us together, well, it plays into stereotypes." Coco went on to say as she pulled off her glasses, her voice even, but serious. "Because she's a rabbit Faunus, everyone believes she's the instigator in all of this. People jump to the worst conclusions because she's a woman as well. That kind of negative attention bothers her, but we all love each other, and I'm going to do my best to keep that spark alive."

"Speaking of, where did she get to?" Yang asked. "Whenever she's off shift and isn't sleeping, she busts out of this room like it's on fire."

"She's with Yatsuhashi. They've always been team partners, so they go off to bond amongst themselves. His friendship means a lot to her."

The blonde mulled it over a little, her turn of phrase absentminded. "Never would have guessed that."

"When we were just students, Velvet had a lot of social anxiety. On our initiation day, she was pushed into a weapon's locker and he ended up peeling the door back to get her out. Turns out they both ended up late to the outskirts. After Goodwitch found out why they were late, she pardoned them for being tardy and let them take the first year initiation anyway under the stipulation they paired together by default."

"Oh." Yang then gave the two love birds openly spooning across the room a huge grin. "And you two?"

"We were also late." Fox smirked cockily. "Recreational activities made us lose track of time."

"What he means to say is that we were both high as kites." It wasn't her finest moment, and her first few years in Beacon, she was known for her troublesome ways, but they didn't last. Not as a team leader, not when she needed to be sober. "I was having a toke back behind one of the trees, he started chatting me up. The next thing I know, we're both hauling ass to the meet-up point, after getting bitched out by Goodwitch, Ozpin made the executive decision to keep the four of us together."

"And the rest as they say, is history?" Yang smirked.

"Pretty much." Coco laughed. "So, back in the day, how did you end up on the same team as your little sister?"

"Well, that's kind of a long story. A fluke, really." Yang chuckled then, leaning back in her own bed. "You know what they say about being at the right place, at the right time? That's what happened with Ruby. It all started with a robbery at a nearby dust shop…"

* * *

A new week started, and the household was suddenly not quite so quiet. Yang and Weiss were back home, and little Ace couldn't have been more happy, excited, and defensive all at the same time. At first she was a purring little bundle of love and cuddles. Sadly, it didn't last. Yang was rudely awakened at dinner time when she realized the littlest sister of the family could be more than a mildly hot tempered.

[Mine.] Ace snarled at Yang, guarding the plate she wanted for herself.

"Sooo, uhhh that's a thing…" Yang murmured to herself, giving Blake a confused glance. "Erm, now what?" She asked, watching the little girl take a hand full of mashed potatoes and cram them into her mouth.

"Food aggression." Blake said with a shrug. "Just take your plate back."

The blonde raised an eyebrow, looking at her lost dinner plate. Ace seemed leased with herself, plucking a few peapods and crunching down on them. "So what do you want me to do? Just take the place away so that she starts snarling at me again?" Yang shook her head. "Yeah, I don't think so."

Ruby reached out, swiping the steak, pea, and potato plate away from the tiny apex predator, ignoring the snarling that resulted as she swatted the girl on the behind. "Enough now, that's not yours." She put the plastic plate with smaller portions in front of the little girl. "This is yours."

"And to think, she used to be such a sweet little girl." Weiss replied as she enjoyed her own meal. "The family resemblance grows more prominent by the day."

"Hey!" Yang barked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That she's just as rash and emotionally charged as you are, Yang." Weiss told the blonde. "It's not entirely a bad thing you know…you just both have your moments of being impossible to reason with, let's just put it that way."

"She's been doing that recently. Her teeth are sharp little things too." Ruby added. "She going after yours because it's so rare I think. Weiss and I only like ours a little bit pink."

"Rare? This is what's known as medium-rare, thank you very much." Yang laughed. "I'm not the one who wants my meat mooing. Blake's meal is practically raw, and Ace isn't going after hers, now is she?"

"That's because she isn't stupid. This is my plate and if she even thinks about touching it uninvited, she'll be in for a world of hurt. She knows that by smell alone." Blake grumbled. "Anyway, you people don't know what you're missing." Blake said, lobbing off half of her steak into a big chunk. "Watch this." She said, holding the juicy chunk of rare steak out for the girl.

Acer hesitated, looking at the meal. [Mine?] she asked, ear flicking as her head cocked to the side, edging closer to the food in front of her.

[Yours.] Blake reciprocated with an inviting tilt of her head and her own flick of an ear. A soft chirrup sliding from the back of her throat adding the final clue to the unspoken puzzle.

Ace launched herself at the hunk od steak without restraint, growling in pleasure as she tore into the meat happily.

It was a bit disturbing the first time any human saw what a Faunus was truly capable of, and Weiss had no way to articulate her confusion well. "Well, that's just a bit…"

"Animalistic?" Blake said sarcastically.

"I was going to say uncouth." Weiss shot back. "Teach her to use utensils, like a normal child."

"She'll get there." Blake said, unconcerned as the small Faunus made a mess of herself, and the food. "First we need to get her used to eating food from her own plate…which would work better if Ruby wasn't so intent on overcooking everything."

"Yeah, but…blood is gross." She protested, watching as Blake smirked, rolling her eyes.

"Ace doesn't seem to think so." Yang replied, crinkling her nose. "She's going to need a bath after that."

"Well it's your turn Yang." Ruby told her with something of a grin. One that held only the faintest bit of pity. The factuality of it all reminding Yang just how unhappy Ace would be at the sight of the water, soap, and the brushing of her hair in the aftermath. "Blake and I are going to a movie tonight, so you're on your own."

"That's fine, Weiss and I can hold down the fort."

"Don't look at me." Weiss said with a shake of her head. "I'm going to go play mahjong tonight with Pyrrha, Ren, and Jaune. You're on your own."

"Well, crap…at least send Nora over to keep me company."

"I think that went without saying." Blake deadpanned. "If you two hype Ace all up before bedtime, I swear to god, you're dealing with the aftermath. I'm not coming home to a toddler on a sugar rush ever again..."

Weiss blinked before giving Ruby a menacing glare, fork stabbing into the side salad with vengeance. "I don't know how, and I don't know why, but I know you're to blame for that statement, Ruby Rose..."


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: Scenes have been re-worked or moved around, but nothing completely changed.
> 
> Original chapter length: 1,773  
Revisited chapter length: 4,544
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 29**

Ruby didn't want to admit it at first, but navigating a relationship after having been strictly friends for so long was an odd thing to do. Maybe because it was the first relationship she'd ever had. Maybe it was because Blake truly meant something to her. Either way, the lines of that long and carefully cherished friendship had been steadily blurred. Along with it, so did every little detail, the daily occurrences taking on new definitions at every turn.

A date night sounded fantastic, but it was still just an outing, even if they weren't calling it that. Additionally, it was their first night away from responsibility, and Ruby was unsure what to do without the small mental hurdles to worry about.

Routine had been forgotten about entirely, in favor of more personal gratification.

Ace was being taken care of back home, and there was no one to get in the way of the two of them. For the first time in several days, they had the whole evening to themselves. They'd chosen a romantic comedy at the theater and a night out on the town, wandering around Vale in an aimless fashion. Arm in arm, they'd browsed a few shops, and passed by a street performer. At the end of the night, they took the long scenic route home, passing by the larger homes they could never hope to buy with their current income.

And, while all of that was well and good, Ruby was just as happy to go home. She slipped off her shoes, and curled up with Blake to stare mindlessly at whatever blared across the television screen.

This, Ruby concluded, was a normal thing to do. The way it would be, and the way it should be.

There was comfort in moments like this, something easy and familiar. Blake sipped hot tea, and she chose hot chocolate. When Blake had charge of the remote, the viewing took a sharp lurch towards liberal news stations, classic movie channels, and the cooking network. When Ruby had control of the remote, game show channels, prime-time sitcoms, and Grimm documentaries took center stage.

"When did I grow up into such a boring person?" Ruby wondered aloud, causing her girlfriend's ear to swivel.

It was as if she had almost missed the murmured question. "Boring?"

"Yeah, I mean, don't you think I am?" Ruby continued, the soft question carried between thoughtful whispers.

"No, I don't so." Blake said, her lips ghosting the mug in her hands. "What brought that on?" She took another sip of her tea.

"I never expected to suddenly become an extrovert or something crazy like that. I just thought I might be interested in some sense of adventure." Ruby said, setting aside her empty mug. "Instead, I'm sitting here watching this sorry excuse for a hunter as he follows a flock of griffons. No hunter in his right mind would let a whole flock get away without at least blasting a few tracking chips into the bigger ones…and even then, the only hunter I've ever seen do that to a Grimm is Oobleck. Grimm in a pack that size are no joke."

Hearing that made Blake laugh as she turned down the television. "Which is probably why you don't like adventure as much as the next person. Ruby, you've never really had the chance to settle down. Life's just one big forward leap after another to you. I'd imagine anyone would get tired with that eventually. Besides, you hit the nail on the head earlier, you're not an extrovert."

"I'm just surprised it doesn't get old fast. I guess, I just thought you'd think it was boring."

"Not very likely."

Golden eyes slid closed and Blake stretched. Her arms landing around Ruby's midriff, pulling her closer. "It's not something I like to admit, but it probably has more to do with being a Faunus than my personality." Blake said, allowing her voice to be muffled into Ruby's shoulder. "Being raise among the White Fang, stability was a tenuous thing."

Ruby hummed an acknowledgement. "Was it really that bad?"

"That's hard to say..." Blake said, trailing off. "It was bad later on, that's why I left. Before that, I'm sure. The thing is, Faunus rallies were unstable places. The older I grew, the more unstable the world around me became. I'd only just gotten a taste of what it meant to have a stable lifestyle when I went to Beacon. I didn't even know how to cope with that at first. Now that I know what it means to have some measure of safety and security, I'm just not willing to gamble all of that away."

"I wish I had a better understanding of what you went through growing up." Ruby said softly.

"No, you don't."

"Hmm? Why not? Is it because you don't think I can handle the truth?"

Blake press a kiss to the nape of Ruby's neck. "You can't see Faunus as lesser beings like the rest of the world. We’re inferior, and we’re taught by humans to know that. Humans and Faunus aren't the same, and mercifully, you're blind to those little things. To me especially, you just don't see what everyone else does. I never want to give you any reason to start seeing those differences .If it seems like I'm protecting you, I'm not. If anything, I suppose I'm just trying to protect myself."

"That doesn't mean I don't see them, Blake, I just choose not to let those things shape the way I look at someone." Ruby told her. "I don't think that's mercy, I just think it's the way things should be."

Blake weight the response, another kiss for good measure acting like the balm against her worries. "Honestly, Ruby, it's a slippery slope."

"Why does it have to be like that, though?"

Blake sighed. "All Faunus ask themselves; at what point do our instincts end, and our personality begin? The two are bound so tightly together, I wonder about it sometimes. Of course, Ace makes some things much more obvious than I ever would, but she's little. She has no concept of cruelty. You don't bat an eye when it comes to her, either."

"Why would I?"

"A better way to look at it is; you're a human, so why wouldn't you?"

Ruby uplifted a brow. "Because I know she's just a baby. If you're not worried about the things she does, why should I be?"

The candid response made Blake smile. "You don't have a hateful bone in your body." She said, as though that was her answer for everything. "Trust me, that's a good thing, and it doesn't need to change. You don't need to understand my past, honestly, I hope you never do. Understanding that would mean you'd have to understand why humans hate Faunus in the first place."

"If you say so." Ruby murmured, her fingers reaching up to sink into long black tresses, and further still to the base of Blake's ears. Ever so carefully Ruby began caressing the base of the one nearest her thumb. It was a passing thought. An action born of convenience, not focus, as her fingers slid lower, mapping out the small details along the nape of Blake's neck and part of her shoulder.

The cat Faunus got a lazy look in her eyes, ears drooping slightly as she melted into whatever attention Ruby deemed fit to give her, the younger woman happily curled up on Blake's lap, her own eyes closing as she listened to Blake's gentle purring.

* * *

That was exactly how Weiss found them when she crept through the door soundlessly late that evening. From the looks of things, they'd been laying that way for a while.

She disregarded it, locking the front door behind her as she made her way to her room. Yang was still awake, keeping an eye on her little sister as she stalked a tiny spider shaped Grimm that skittered up the wall in protest. "You really shouldn't let her do that." Weiss scolded, her hand landing firmly on the wall to punctuate the statement. The weight of her palm smashed the little Grimm in an instant.

"Those things are everywhere." Yang shot back offhandedly. "What do you want me to do, set the house on fire and get rid of them?"

"Grimm aren't playthings." Weis said, lifting Ace and putting her atop Yang's bed. "Not even the bugs."

"Never said they were." Yang shrugged. "I just don't think one little spider Grimm is something I need to protect Ace from. It's not like they're harmful until they get bigger anyway."

"You know the rules. No filth clogging the household, and that most certainly includes Grimm." Weiss said, smashing another one that she saw making a home in the window. "Ruby and Blake are going to have to start cleaning in here more often while we're away." Weiss replied, taking some ice dust and sprinkling it under the bed, listening to the small Grimm underneath squeal in slow painful agony as they died in mass. "My word, where did these all come from?"

"Best guess? You're looking at her…" Yang said, putting Ace back on the floor to chase another small wayward Grimm skittering about. "Grimm are attracted to negativity, and judging by the way Ace reacted when we walked through that door, she's been kind of pissy recently. Part of why all the hunters live on this side of Vale is because we can slay our own bug infestations..."

"even so, I've never seen so many clustered in one place. Harmless as they may be, there were several under my bed."

"She's probably acting like a big sad homing device."

"Speaking of foul moods, why isn't Ace asleep?" Weiss asked, bending down to look under Yang's bed. "You know she'll be crabby in the morning." She didn't see any glowing red eyes underneath, but didn't want to leave anything to chance as she sprinkled some ice dust under Yang's bed as well. The room would need a good sweeping tomorrow.

"She won't lay down with me." Yang said, leaning back on her pillow. "Nocturnal and all of that..." 

Weiss didn't seem convinced. "Is that so?"

Yang just rolled her eyes, pointing to the little girl crouched behind Yang's backpack, acting like she couldn't be seen before she darted to the other side of the room to attack a wadded up paper ball. "Does she look like she's ready to fall asleep to you?"

"Yes, actually." Weiss said, turning off the light, and scooping up the young Faunus in question. "She does, and she_ is_ going to lay down."

"Oh," Yang grinned, already having failed the battle several hours before. "This outta be good.”

* * *

It was a well-known fact that the household could never agree on music tastes to save their souls. While it was arguably true that Blake had the most well rounded tastes out of the four, it was anyone's guess as to what she might be in the mood for on any given day. Yang could only cringe to the sound of smooth jazz coming through the speakers in the early morning as Blake stood over the stove scrambling eggs, frying bacon, and keeping half an eye on the sliced potatoes that she had baking in the oven.

Yang didn't question it as she wordlessly made for the fridge in search of an energy drink that simply wasn't there to begin with. Grumbling curses, she made due with the nearly full liter of soda, cracking open the lid and swigging from it before carrying it to the table. Her hand come down hard on the off button to the music player, causing Blake to roll her eyes.

"I was listening to that you know." Blake said with only a minor annoyance as she looked over her shoulder.

"You were torturing me." Yang argued through a yawn. "Where's everyone else?"

"Ruby went shopping for some Grimm traps, and Weiss went next door. You were still dead to the world, and I had paperwork to sort through, so Weiss took Ace with her."

"Useless lesbians being useless, huh?" Yang chuckled, earning a curious gaze from housemate as a huge plate of breakfast was placed in front of her. "I swear, that's another situation that just needs to become a thing already…"

"I'd ask what your brain has concocted now, however, I'm also partially afraid of whatever it is you've come up." Blake said, coming to sit down at the table with her own breakfast.

Yang shrugged, looking down at her meal, her fork poking at the eggs cooked exactly as she liked them. Her chin rested in her free palm. "It's nothing really…”

“I doubt that.” Blake said, crossing her arms. “What meddlesome thing have you done this time?”

“It's just, for as close as people get, you'd think they'd just come right out and say it, you know?” Yang shrugged, side-eyeing Blake with a knowing little look. “I don't get what's with all the worrying over nothing.”

"Who's worrying, and are you sure it's nothing?"

"Nope, can't tell you.” Yang said wagging a peace of bacon before crunching down on a bite. “It's not really my place to say. Either way, Yeah, pretty sure it's nothing. At least, nothing bad."

They ate in companionable silence after that. It wasn't that they didn't have plenty of things that could be said, and plenty more that should have been. No, it was merely that all of those conversations started with more than a few passing glances. Saying nothing at all was a shared bond between them, nonsense forgone entirely, because it simply didn't need to exist in the first place.

Instead, Yang busied herself with the thoughts still rolling around in her head. "Hey, Blake, you think Ace is happy here?"

"As opposed to where, exactly?" Blake returned.

Lilac eyes closed with a gentle sigh. "A week just seems like a lot longer after you've lived it, you know? Feels like I already missed this huge chunk of time I'm not going to get back. It's a weird thing to think about, but I keep wondering what I'm going to miss as times goes on."

Blake said nothing at first, thinking on the matter herself before she found her voice. "Quite a bit, I'd imagine…"

"Oh, that's real comforting."

"Yang…"

"Hmm?"

"This is a new situation for everyone. Ace isn't exactly unhappy, and when you think about it, that's about all we can hope for day by day.” In some ways, that alone would be a luxury. “Give her time to get used to it, and while you're at it, give yourself the same. After all, it might not be perfect, but, this is the only childhood she'll ever come to know."

Yang nodded, downing the rest of her soda, and tossing the empty bottle into the recycling bin. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that."

* * *

Having to share the household was both a blessing and a curse when it came to matters of intimacy. Ruby's shyness was driving Blake crazy…though, she understand why Ruby felt that way. Any other time, those timid moments would be endearing. However, for Blake, it was also a little painful, almost as if Ruby rejected her advances, though logically she knew that wasn't the case...

In fact, all evidence pointed to the fact that Ruby was just a very private person, and, Blake knew that to be true.

Ruby ducked her head to avoid kissing in front of Yang or Weiss. Yet, she still glued herself to Blake's side, tightening her fingertips around the fabric of Blake's shirt to keep her there. Ruby still took to sitting near Blake, or on her lap, but the action was guarded and measured. She certainly didn't weave her fingers in Blake's hair, to even think about touching the two ears atop her head. Ruby was tense even just sitting there, and the implied but unspoken no kissing rule was near murder to Blake's Faunus senses.

They might have had some free time away from Ace, which they both sorely needed, but navigating the intimate side of their relationship seemed even more difficult with Yang in the house. Though the blonde promised not to tease, Blake felt the burning scrutiny in lilac eyes. The blond was being mindful of the new couple, but, she was still Ruby's older sister. As fine with all of it as she was, the urge to protect and coddle Ruby died hard…so, although Yang bit her tongue, her glare was obvious.

Sadly, there was validation in the implied threat.

Even when behind closed doors, Ruby was tense and uneasy. After several nights in a row where even making out in bed had Ruby apologizing at every turn, a change of plan was required. Thankfully, Blake had just the idea one evening when they once again had the house to themselves. She turned off faucet in the tub and sunk into the water, sighing pleasantly as it lapped at her skin.

"Are you sure about this?" Ruby asked while clinging onto her bathrobe. Naked as she was underneath, she was hesitant to part with it.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Blake asked gently, her fingertips twirling in steaming liquid. "It's nothing you haven't seen before…"

Ruby just shrugged and looked away. The bathmat had suddenly become very interesting, or at the very least, a great thing to focus on. Anything was better than her naked girlfriend, who seemed to have no qualms leaving herself on display. "But…that was back then…and this is now."

"Do you trust me?" Blake asked.

"Yes." Ruby nodded, her voice a mere whisper.

"Come here." Blake said, praying that the simple request would be enough.

After a few long moments, Ruby divested herself of the only thing hiding what little of her modesty was left, sliding into the bathtub with Blake.

The idea had come to the cat Faunus thanks to Beacon policy while being a student. If a mission lasted longer than a few hours, or took place out in the wilds, then all participating team members had to enter into a special locker room made for decontamination. Their clothes were thrown into washers and dryers. They'd have to scrub down in the showers with a special blend of lice and flea shampoo, to be sure they weren't bringing any such little critter into the student dorms.

It was Beacon protocol, and no one could avoid it.

Many students abused the privilege of the seemingly unlimited hot water in the showers, and monopolized the deep bathtubs. To say that the women on team RWBY hogged the bathing area on more than one occasion was the understatement of the century, and sometimes, they'd spend the afternoon after a long mission just soaking away aches and pains…and there was certainly no shyness to be had then, that was for sure.

Blake loved hot water, so long as it was tranquil and didn't involve a lot of splashing.

Having Ruby so close, flesh to flesh, was a vast improvement as she rubbed the washcloth over Ruby's back, smirking to herself as the woman shivered slightly. They spent a while just basking together in the solitude of their own thoughts before Ruby leaned over and kissed her. The action melted her thoughts entirely, a contented sigh slipping beyond her lips.

She couldn't hold in the purr that resulted from such affection, her sense of touch keener with the lack of clothing between them. Blake kept her eyes closed the moment she felt the pang of arousal that was so familiar, and yet so dreaded. She had been trying, painstakingly so, to coax Ruby into a sense of calm when it came to witnessing Faunus attributes. Her eyes changing to catlike slits wasn't something she could control.

It was merely an instinctive reaction, as natural to her as breathing. It was just her body adjusting its focus to become hyper aware to stimuli. Her instincts were indiscriminant, priming themselves in the presence of friend or foe…that it was a pleasant feeling didn't matter. She wanted, needed, more of those tactile sensations. Of Ruby's scent, and her voice…and Blake's body was merely granting its own desire tenfold.

She couldn't keep her eyes closed forever, and when they broke the kiss, Blake took the chance. Her eyes opened slowly, and just as she expected, she felt Ruby tense up under that feral gaze. Distinctly inhuman, and entirely catlike.

"Ruby…sweetheart, it's just me." Blake murmured carefully, mentally cursing the depth of her voice whenever she spoke through a purr…now was not the time to be sounding as her heritage demanded. "It's okay."

"Is it?" Ruby asked, as though she wasn't completely sure as she began to avert her gaze.

"No, don't turn away." Blake said as gently as her voice allowed. "Look at me, please."

Silver eyes lifted back to hers hesitantly. It was wholly unnatural to her, Blake realized.

When a human looked into the eyes of their lover, they expected a human gaze to be reciprocated back…but her eyes….her eyes would never be such a thing, because Blake would never be human. She wanted nothing more to nuzzle away that worried frown, and kiss Ruby deeply without a second thought, but she knew that would be pushing it. That Ruby didn't run away from her was probably the best she could hope for as she reminded herself yet again, that the younger woman was still so very inexperienced when it came to her own desires.

Blake's were likely a complete mystery to Ruby, and the cat Faunus needed to rectify that.

"I promise, I would never hurt you." Blake began, about to issue the very clinical explanation of what went on with her body whenever her habitual instincts took over. Just as she opened her mouth to continue, something strange happened that silenced her once more. Ruby's fingertips pressed against her lower lip, following that supple skin before cupping Blake's cheek to repeat the action with her thumb. Blake shivered involuntarily when the pad of that wayward appendage pressed onto one of her fangs as it slid on by. The motion repeated, Blake ever so carefully nipped down playfully, before releasing it and tilting her head so she could kiss the inside of Ruby's palm.

She had no idea what was so intriguing about her eye-teeth. It wasn't that they were much longer than a human's, and they were only a bit sharper. They nestled into her jaw perfectly. The distinction in length was impossible to notice, unless of course, Blake twisted her mouth into a snarl for distinctly that reason.

She was quiet as Ruby trailed that same searching caress along her forehead, down the bridge of her nose, before slowly pulling away again. Blake was about to ask what all of that was about, but as Ruby leaned in to kiss her again, and settle into the crook of Blake's neck, the Faunus decided she just didn't care. So long as Ruby was content with whatever assurance she had happened to find, she wouldn't press it.

Though, Blake conceded to the rather filthy part of her brain, keeping her hands to herself wasn't exactly easy, either.

* * *

The next day, Weiss woke early to see that Blake had already prepared breakfast.

Weiss couldn't remember her toddlerhood very well. Either way, she highly doubted her father put up with the idea of using her hands to eat at the breakfast table…or any table for that matter. She watched Ace down her oatmeal by the fist-full before her sticky fingers reached for cut up pieces of ham scattered around on a plastic plate. Attempting yet again to spear one of the little morsels onto the children's forks in hopes that Ace might use it, she was met with hostility.

[No.] Ace snarled just as soon as Weiss got close to the plastic plate. [Mine.]

Blake didn't hesitate to flick Ace on the nose for the aggressive action, causing the little girl to pout, and then to cry. Blake pointedly ignored the crying as she returned to her paper. "I keep telling you, leave her plate alone. I'm almost tempted to let her have a go at you. Maybe then you two will finally agree to disagree."

"I was only trying to help." Weiss replied with a sigh, shaking her head.

The cat Faunus folded the paper she was reading with an exasperated curse. It seemed a demonstration was in order. Taking her own fork, she speared one of the pancakes that Weiss had sitting on her plate, stealing it away entirely and cramming it into her own mouth.

"Hey, that was my breakfast!"

The older Faunus just smirked rudely through her chewing before gulping the pancake down. It was a bit dry for her taste, and she chased it down with a swig of her tea. "See, not very fond of that, now are you?"

"You are completely insufferable." Weiss huffed, going back to drinking her coffee disdainfully. "You know just as well as I do, that was not my intention."

"I know you were only trying to help, but you need to establish ownership with Ace first. For humans, possession is nine tenths of the law, but for Faunus, possession is everything. It's either yours, or not yours. So, thusly, during breakfast, your plate is your plate, her plate is hers. We don't go around touching what isn't ours. You may only want to help, but every time you touch her food, she thinks you're trying to claim it for yourself."

Weiss wasn't amused, but accepted that she was at a loss when it came to dealing with the small child. "And just when do you think she will start eating with a fork…or at the very least, a spoon?" She half considered swabbing the girl down with the wet washcloth sitting nearby, but decided against it. Ace would only get dirty again anyway. Instead, she folded her arms and leaned back into her chair, watching as Ace devoured her meal with gusto. "We will have to teach her proper table manners eventually."

Blake shrugged, honestly, she wasn't sure when they'd have that opportunity. "Give her a few more months before you start forcing that on her. As long as she's eating her own food, I'd call that a victory. Besides, does it really matter how fast she picks up table manners? It's not like we go out much, and when we do, it's normally finger food like pizza anyway…"

"Well," Weiss relented. "At least she's not wearing the bowl as a hat…"

"Oh, she still does that too, just not with her oatmeal." Blake said, mentally reminding herself that chicken noodle soup would be off the menu for a few more months until Ace stopped trying to swim in it.

“Lovely…” Weiss muttered, glaring daggers at the little girl who was completely covered in her breakfast, and the sticky syrup that came with it.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something skittering up the side of the booster seat, before nestling itself into one of the knots in the little girl's hair. Several little sets of red Grimm eyes peaked out and Blake growled at the creature, plucking it from the dark tresses, and killing it.

"What was that?" Weiss asked.

"Another Grimm." Blake said, her voice concerned.

"That's it, I've had it!" Weiss said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin before slamming it down onto the table indignantly. "There are far too many Grimm in this house. I'm calling Ozpin."


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: The fiction is now at the point where originally posted chapters stopped going up on FFN. Chapter 30 was the cut-off mark where things began to get rewritten. As such, you’ll see that I’ve removed “original chapter lengths” from Author’s Notes. I will still be adding a few thoughts here in the significant changes section for the rest of the fiction to display the way my mind worked through the creative process. There’s only 10 of chapters of ‘old’ scenes left before everything else is entirely new content.
> 
> Also please remember, this story was written before we had a firm understanding of what Qrow and Raven had for semblances.
> 
> Revisited chapter length: 4,493
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 30**

Pyrrha wouldn't admit it out loud, but her feelings for Weiss had only begun to deepen.

Being in the same living space as the woman of her affections was a difficult thing. Especially because that woman didn't seem to notice. In the workplace, Pyrrha knew she had to be professional. She couldn't risk upsetting the fragile balance that her peers had going. She was only one cog in a grand machine after all, and she knew the importance of fluid teamwork.

When the work week was done, she thought she might get a reprieve. The only thing that happened was that she found her bedroom a lonely place. She went back to her old teammates, and the routine she become most comfortable with. It all settled back into place without any effort, but, that didn't chase away Pyrrha's concerns. Her heart had a somewhat empty feeling that she knew well.

She was completely and utterly invisible to the woman she cared about.

Pyrrha sat on her little front stoop, sipping a morning smoothie that Ren had concocted. Green eyes watching the goings on around the short cobbled path. It was made comfortable because she knew all of the residents in the area, not just team RWBY. The other hunters in the area respected the concept of privacy, so they didn't pay her any mind as she watched the birds fluttering around. The nearby cat was unsuccessfully pouncing into a garbage dumpster.

If she didn't think herself completely crazy, she was sure that crow squawking on the line was much smarter than it should have been. She watched as the cat tried and failed several times to catch it. It seemed as though each attempt was doomed from the start. Then the door at the end of the alleyway opened. Ace was already bounding out of the door completely ignoring Yang's shouts to get back in the house to put shoes on.

Chuckling mildly at the early morning ruckus, Pyrrha made her way over to the front of the RWBY household. "You're up rather early today, Yang."

"The whole house is up early. Ace keeps attracting Grimm. At first it was just a few spiders, then it was a rat Grimm, it's finally getting out of hand though." Yang sighed, watching as Ace chased the stray cat around, snarling at the little creature who scampered up the nearest drainpipe. Ace growled at it a little more before perking her little ear back up and running back to Yang's side as if she'd just done a good deed.

[Up.] She mewed tugging on Yang’s pants. The blonde merely reached down to pat her on the head before yawning.

“It’s been a real pain in the ass…” Yang went on to say, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Who knew that small Grimm infestations could be this annoying?"

"That seems very strange, I've never heard of anything like that." Pyrrha murmured, eyebrow raising with interest as she looked down to the small child, who did in fact seem to have a small army of bug Grimm coming up from the dumpsters to follow her. "Oh…"

"Yep." Yang groused unhappily. "That's about what I expected."

"Well, that's unfortunate.”

“No shit…” Yang grumbled, stomping the Grimm underfoot.

“You haven't the slightest clue why she's attracting them?"

"Nope. Just that she does, for whatever reason." Yang said, plucking another bug Grimm off of her little sister's head, her ears flicking as Yang squashed the tiny monster between her fingers. "I don't think it's that big a deal, but Ozpin wants to see it for himself. He's coming here to see her personally."

"Well, I hope he knows how to correct this." Pyrrha said, using her foot to sweep the small Grimm off of the porch. An angry shout issued from the back of the house before an ice blast shattered one of the windows. Pyrrha and Yang shared a look before the redhead pushed passed the powerful brawler in search of Weiss. Whatever reason she had for blasting ice out of the window, it couldn't have been good.

* * *

Ozpin's arrival couldn't have been more welcomed, and yet, more feared. He was a jovial man to be certain. However, lingering underneath his cool and pleasant demeanor, he was a man that commanded an absurd amount of power. When it came to keeping Remnant, Vale particularly, safe from Grimm, he did everything he could. His methods were sometimes questionable, and there were moments that people around him worried for his sanity.

Having him come to their humble dwelling was not what constituted a relaxing afternoon.

Truth be told, it was also a little embarrassing when a team of hunters had to make a call and report a bug Grimm infestation. Students normally took such cases, though, the circumstances this time were more than a little unusual.

Ozpin was neither appalled nor surprised when he took a look at the child attracting the little vermin. In fact, he quite expected a call about something, though it wasn't exactly something like this. "Ace Branwen…" He said more to himself than to the group of huntresses surrounding him. He adjusted his glasses, and gazed to Yang. "She _is_ Raven's daughter, correct?"

Yang only nodded quietly, hands balled into fists at her side. "What of it?" She asked, though the question lacked heat.

"Yang, come on, be nice." Ruby hissed quietly. "Yes sir, I'm the one that issued the initial report about her when I found her."

"That you did." He hunched forward, peering at the child who was more than happy to hide behind Blake. "Inquisitive youth, isn't she?" He noted with a smirk. The way her own eyes studied him in return was slightly amusing. Offered his hand, wandering how she might respond.

Ace took a sniff, flinched, and hide further behind her protector with a tiny growl. [No.] Her ears flattened back in a display that would be aggressive, if only it wasn't adorable.

"Hmm, not very sociable, are you little one?" He said, more to himself than the others.

[Male bad.] Ace proclaimed as she looked up at black. He gave Ozpin another passing glance complete with a small hiss. Then her clawed fingers finding purchase on Blake's thigh. [Kin. Male bad.]

Blake could only roll her eyes as she flicked her ear at the child, inclining her head impassively in Ozpin's direction. [Male good.] He responded before aggressing the headmaster in front of her properly. "Ace doesn't like new people, or the smell of brandy." Blake said, though she knew it wasn't a very good excuse. Her nose detected just the slightest hint of it, but the smell was the same sort Qrow liked to drink. If anything, that man had made an impression that Ace wouldn't soon forget, and scent largely told the difference between friend and foe. "Blame her uncle for that. Qrow is a bit of an idiot…"

"So I've heard." Ozpin chuckled backing away to give the small child some space. "He claims she has quite the vicious bite, though I'll happily take his word for it."

"Smart move." Yang smirked. "Trust me."

"She is a biter." Blake said. "Faunus teeth are no match for human aura..."

"Indeed, Faunus adapted differently from humans. The ability to chew through aura came to them through over many eons of evolution, likely to defend themselves against humans in the first place." Ozpin agreed, settling himself on the sofa. "She bites strangers often then?”

"She's a good kid." Yang told him.

“Well, she bite Qrow, but he messed with her ears. If I were her, I would have bit him too." Blake muttered before sighing. She felt her shoulders slumping under the weight of that admission. "Yang's right though. Ace generally doesn’t bite anyone unless she’s annoyed or playing.”

“I wouldn't expect less. Now then, other than Qrow, she socializes well with others?"

The team shared a glance, but it was Blake who finally spoke.

"That's hard to say." Blake answered. "She's very affectionate to people she knows…but, well, she _is_ a Faunus."

"Now, now, you don't need to worry. I'm well aware of the youthful indiscretion in youngsters." He replied gently. "I've spent more than enough time around children to understand that they aren't to be underestimated. That goes for humans too." He said, eyeing Ruby momentarily before casting aside whatever thought he had popping into his head at the time. "Though, you hit the nail on the head. Ace is a Faunus, so some things are meant to be expected. If you had to describe her preferred method of playing, it would be?"

Blake hesitated, but decided to just be as blunt as possible. "She'll play with toys occasionally, but, she's much more interesting in batting things around, hunting, stalking…"

"So, feral behavior?" He asked bluntly, this earned him several scowls.

"You wanna rephrase that?" Yang asked curtly, reminding Ozpin very much of her uncle in the way she scowled at him. It was a demand, not a request.

He didn't react, and merely tented his finger upon his lap. "That is the proper terminology, I assure you."

"He's right." Blake sighed, shaking her head at Yang. "If Raven were a Faunus, she'd be what we'd call feral. You never abandon your mates or offspring. You never, ever do something like that. It's against our social code, and more often than not, also against our primary instincts. She is young, but she does act a little bit feral."

"Hot tempered, too." Weiss added. "Although, I assume that runs in the family."

Ozpin nodded at this. "If I may?" He asked, producing a small mirror. "I'd like to see this behavior for myself."

Blake gave a huff, already knowing what he intended to do with it, and inwardly cursed. She found it offensive, but didn't say anything, it wasn't exactly her call to make. She looked over to Yang. In fact, it seemed as of the whole room regarded her with the choice, Ruby included.

"What are you all looking at me for?" Yang shrugged, sending the look directly back to Ozpin. "We called you to help us…do what you need to do."

He flashed the mirror, reflecting a little ball of light onto the floor. He wondered if Ace might go after it, but she was far less interested in playing, and much more interested in hiding behind the older Faunus. After a few moments, he gave up, and placed the mirror away. "Feral perhaps, but not rabid." He concluded slowly. "If she has a temper, I assume it isn’t any more than others within the family. I doubt that it would be some sort of developmental or emotional dely."

"And that would mean, what, exactly?" Weiss pondered

"Merely that she doesn't think like a Grimm." Ozpin replied succinctly.

“Is that really a thing?” Ruby asked him. “People thinking like Grimm?”

“In a manner of speaking, although, it would be exceedingly rare. Humans and Faunus have souls, so, befriending a being without one isn’t natural. In order for that to happen she would have needed to have a soul tainted enough to appeal to a Grimm’s malignancy. It usually happens among isolated individuals, or those who do not care for humanity as a whole, but I highly doubt this is the case here.”

“Then what do you think it means?” Yang asked hotly.

"I believe this may have something to do with her semblance. Perhaps a side effect, of sorts. She's much more interested in staying on the hip. She hasn't outright attacked me, and she's not seeking something to kill. I doubt there is a cause for concern. The Branwen bloodline is a strange thing. It's not out of the realm of possibility that this is meant to happen, odd though it might seem."

"I beg your pardon?" Weiss said, affronted that anyone might even think to say such a thing. "I hate to be disrespectful, sir, but earlier this morning I had to murder a small nevermore in our bathroom." She explained, pointing to the back hallway. "Where it might have come from is anyone's guess, but either way, I find this entire debacle just a little asinine."

"I understand your concern. It wouldn't be the first time I've had people gawk at my assumptions, but allow me to explain. Qrow and Raven, in my very personal opinion, remain special cases. When they were young, they both carried semblances and abilities that seemed out of the ordinary. Qrow's tends to be relatively benign in the long run…so long as he is careful...Raven's on the other hand…well, that was a complicated matter. Both of them had complications that came along with their semblances. For Qrow, it just so happens to be misfortune, he is very unlucky."

"Well, that's great, but I don't have some weird Grimm attracting superpower, and I'm her older sister by blood." Yang said, plucking yet another spider Grimm away from her little sister. "This, is way too freaky…it's _not_ okay."

"Yang, you are the abnormality, not your relatives." He replied evenly.

"…_What_…?"

He sighed at length. "I draw this conclusion because Raven's semblance was complicated. We never completely understood the extent of it." Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he eyed Yang mindfully. "She could use it for good and malicious intent. It frightened her. That I know for a fact. As a student, Raven was powerful. As a huntress, she was deadly. It goes without saying that your uncle is also burdened quite heavily by his own semblance."

Yang gave him a dark look. "Yeah, but uncle Qrow doesn't attract Grimm either. Are you saying my mom did?"

"No, not at all. I'm saying that this is not the strangest thing I've heard of, at least not when it comes to your family" He murmured. "You were born and raised as relatively normal girl. You share your mother's explosive temper, and your uncle's recklessness. Your semblance is indicative of your nature, and it is also quite destructive. After all, you do have to be harmed before you can use your semblance to its greatest potential. You just don’t use your semblance in a negative way. Ace may simply be exhibiting signs of her semblance early. A lack of control could certainly manifest in particularly odd ways. It isn't unheard of."

"Somehow I doubt that attracting Grimm could become a manifested semblance..." Weiss said, turning to look at Pyrrha, who merely shrugged.

"Qrow attracts trouble in all forms. He's like a magnet for it. Grimm just so happen to be included." Ozpin replied, his gaze returning to the eldest sibling. "Yang, you must understand that genetically speaking, you all share a commonality with destructive forces. However, unlike Qrow and Raven, that didn't stunted your growth as a person. You grew into the well-adjusted adult that your mother could never be.

"There must be something we can do to help Ace." Ruby said.

"Perhaps it would be better to say that we have no choice but to do something." Weiss said darkly. "What concerns me, is that a child is even capable of collecting Grimm in the first place."

"What I don't like is that they're coming in the house." Ruby added quickly "Grimm hate hunters."

"That's true…" Yang sighed, starting to feel overwhelmed. "You'd think these Grimm would go someplace else with such a high concentration of hunters in the area. You don't think…Ace…she's not in some kind of danger…or a risk to Vale, is she?"

"No." Ozpin only shook his head. "Of course not. While I don't find this child's propensity to attract Grimm to be particularly beneficial, I also don't think the Grimm she attracts poses a direct threat to Vale. Unfortunate realities seem befall the Branwen line. I believe that's what we're witnessing here. Furthermore, the Grimm are collecting around her, but you've never once stated that they were attacking her…or you, for that matter."

They all took pause, but it was Weiss who nodded. "It's true. We haven't been attacked, just annoyed."

The graying man nodded. "It leads me to believe they have some sort of fondness for her. We shall observe cautiously with this in mind. Take measures to rid the Grimm that collect when and where you see fit. The only advisory I would make is that you be careful. Don't release her aura. Until she is older, we must act with caution that her aura, and the use of her semblance could be dangerous. Perhaps, it might even be deadly, and then ladies, we would truly have a problem on our hands."

* * *

The rest of the week passed, but tiny Grimm kept gathering.

One afternoon a loud scream surprised everyone as Ace ran fleeing from the kitchen, Weiss chasing after her to murder a tiny death stalker that the Faunus had befriended. It was no larger than an insect, but venomous all the same. Likely, it had freshly hatched out of an egg, but that didn't do anything to ease the anxiety among the members of the household. Even after it was disposed of, the looming implication was terrible enough as a threat.

The occasional wayward nevermore was one thing, and most bug Grimm were annoying, but harmless. However scorpions, animal, Grimm, or even Faunus for that matter, were another problem entirely. The scorpion had a toxic venom, a single sting would be deadly to a small girl. Even a seasoned huntress would need medical attention before their aura gave out entirely. They couldn't risk the Grimm attacking Ace, and so after it had been thoroughly dealt with, the four women decided to take extreme measures.

There were objects used to ward away venomous Grimm, but Ace was too young to use most of them.

Several were activated and maintained by aura. Used by skilled hunters while sleeping in the wilds. Wristlets with chemicals were toxic too, and Ace was a chewer, so that was out of the question. There were medicated sprays, but those were over the counter, and often times worthless. They weren't willing to take the risk. Thus, there was only one other option, and, just as expected, Ace absolutely hated it.

To be fair, Blake hated it too, and mentally cursed herself the entire time she put the thing on.

A training neckpiece infused with the aura of an already powerful hunter was their best option. Younger students wore them at combat schools to keep them safe. Due to her small size, Ace had to be fitted for one personally, and Ozpin had ordered it to be made particularly for her. That didn't stop Ace from crying however. Ace clawed and clawed, but it was made of metal. There would be no way for her to get it off, and though anyone could infuse the special material, Blake insisted she be the one to do it.

Blake sighed, rocking the fussing little girl to sleep.

She had mixed feelings about such tools, neck pieces particularly, due to the negative connotations inherent in such a trinket. However, even her personal worry stomped down any argument against the implement. She reminded herself that once Ace was old enough to use her own aura effectively, the thick cord of metal around her neck would no longer be needed, and a different method could be used.

"I can't believe you agreed to that contraption. I thought for sure you'd put up a fight." Weiss said, bringing Blake a glass of wine from the kitchen. Pyrrha followed behind, glass of her own wine in her hand. She sipped it quietly as she sat down.

"It wasn't my decision to make." Blake said softly. "Yang has the final say in these sorts of matters, and she wanted it done."

"Don't give me that." Weiss said softly, a knife-like edge in her voice. "You're just as worried as the rest of us, and while I agree measures should be taken, there has got to be a better way."

"A better way, such as?" Blake asked.

"I don't know, but there has to be something." Weiss replied.

"We were lucky, Weiss, incredibly so that she wasn't stung. Otherwise we'd be in the children's ward right now fearing for her life." Blake sighed, fingers brushing against the metal. "If we can come up with something else, you know I'd be the first to jump at the opportunity. It's just that Ace doesn't have a concept of fear when it comes to Grimm, and I'm too afraid there will be an accident if we don't do something."

"Well, there are always Grimm traps…" Pyrrha began, “Weiss told me your hesitancy about those."

"I don't want poison in this house." Blake stated firmly.

"True, I see your concern, and Yang's, since most are chemical based. I assure that mine aren't. My traps are made to trap a Grimm to be disposed of later. There is no dust or poison involved." Pyrrha replied. "I could very easily show you how to use them."

"No. This will have to do. She's fast, and if she got out of sight or managed to get hurt, I'd never forgive myself." Blake said as she avoided the small hands reaching for the alcoholic beverage. "Besides, I'd rather not teach Ace the concept of racial bias." Keeping it well out of reach, she used her free palm to rub soothing circles onto the small girl's back. As expected, Ace melted into the contact like a gooey little puddle. "I was raised among a group of people who viewed neck pieces as a form of capture. A symbol of oppression and little more. I was taught to hate them. She doesn't have to think that way. A lot of Faunus do, but several don't. She doesn’t need to be raised to think of every necklace as a collar."

Weiss didn't stop frowning. "We could have had that mental made into a wristlet…"

"And risk her taking it off? She's strong and…" Blake rolled her eyes when she was cut off with an inquisitive stare. "What...?"

[Kin.] Ace mewed.

"Yes Ace, we're talking about you."

[Kin.] She mewed again, ear flicking in an attempt to make a question.

"Lay down." Blake told her, guiding her back into a restful position.

[Kin.} Ace complained, wanting to play instead.

"No, it's not playtime." Blake sighed when Ace perked up again. "Lay down."

[No.] Ace growled, she wanted no part of that.

[Down. Now.] Blake growled low in her throat.

Glaring Ace down, there was no question of who was in charge. "Do as I say." She commanded tersely, causing red eyes to go wide as Ace curled back into Blake's side demurely. Blake ignored the surprised look that Pyrrha shot at her, waving it off. "As I was saying, my upbringing isn't something that should be entirely repeated. It would be best if those old prejudices died, so she's keeping this…contraption…as you aptly named it, on until further notice."

The slender woman scowled, buried deep in thought. Blake had once considered the look to be one that contained unpleasant thoughts, but now she knew better .She had come to understand that Weiss often looked that way during intense concentration. Glowering into the book pages, or gazing off into space had little to do with the woman's temperament. Instead, it had everything to do with the intensity of the woman's concentration. "Blake, we're going back to patrol the wall tomorrow." Weiss said after brining the wine to her lips once more. "Are you going to be okay on your own?"

"I think I can handle a few Grimm..."

"That's not what I mean, and you know it." Weiss said, emptying her glass. "Ruby's leaving for a quick currier mission, but she'll still be away for a few days. As much as you shoulder a great deal of burden when it comes to raising Ace, you generally have help from someone at least."

"It won't be for long, besides, I want Ruby to take that mission. She is a huntress first and foremost, and those missions help maintain the villages on the boarders. Without those supplies, morale would drop, and Grimm would attack soon after."

“I know that, but given the circumstance, I’m sure she can ask for a replacement.”

“I want her to go.” Blake said, she didn't bother extrapolate further. Weiss knew just how important villages were.

Those villages were safe havens among Faunus who feared living in the large cities. The smaller villages didn't carry the same racial burdens. Choosing instead to be judgmental of outsiders as a whole, rather than the race a person hailed from. A hardworking and honest family could eventually find a home among villages. They were an important milestone in Faunus culture. It was imperative that those villages received those supplies, and that a huntress accompanied those merchants to keep them safe.

“Fine then.” Weiss huffed softly. "Still, you'll call and notify us if things get out of hand around here, correct?"

"Yes Weiss." Blake said with a roll of her eye. "I will call you if sudden ineptitude gets the better of me."

* * *

Weiss never considered herself a maternal figure. She prided herself on almost everything besides her biology and her upbringing. Her body was slight, and she lacked the same voluptuous softness of her peers. She was lacking in the bust, and in the rear. She was a prickly woman as well, this she knew, and she had no desire to truly change her ways. If it wasn't for the poise and elegance beaten into her as a child, she knew she would be a completely lost cause.

Her beauty was a delicate one, as though she was made of glass that would shatter in an instant. Becoming a huntress was the solution to many of her problems. Still, she was almost positive she doomed herself to being a spinster. Never to marry, and never to raise a child of her own. Seeing after Ace, was perhaps the single most baffling occurrence to ever happen.

While she didn't look the gift horse in the mouth, she also couldn't help but wonder about the direct shift that was ongoing in the household.

No one could deny all four of them had embraced their newfound domesticated ways. Blake was now pursuing a romantic relationship with Ruby. Yang had given up her questionable partying and drunk antics. Lastly, but perhaps most interestingly, Weiss could not deny her own personal investment in the youngest member of the household.

She had attempted to brush the entire matter off plenty of times, but she wouldn't be headed back to her station along the wall if she didn't feel some sort of responsibility.

"We might as well get going. If we wait for Yang, we're all going to be late." Weiss groused only loud enough for Pyrrha to hear. "If we go now, I can cover her shift."

"She does seem to be having trouble saying goodbye, doesn't she?" Pyrrha noted sadly.

"It's not that I don't understand why." Weiss began slowly as she turned and began the long walk back to the perimeter wall. "Yang's never been one for restraint. Practically crushing relatives in bear hugs and drowning them in tears is par for the course. I just wish she would be more mindful of her other duties. She's far too easily distracted."

"It must be difficult." Pyrrha noted.

"Of course it is." Weiss said before biting the inside of her cheek. The emerald eyes focused on her were entirely too sincere, looking for more truths than they ought to. It was not a comfort, and with a short breath, she gave Pyrrha a sideway glance. "What I mean to say is that they're sisters. It wouldn't make sense to do any of this if it were easy on Yang. I think I would lose all respect for her if it was. I absolutely refuse to believe she could just turn her back on that little girl."

"It suits you..."

"What suits me?"

"Looking after the wellbeing of another.” Pyrrha said offhandedly as they walked back together. “It suits you, Weiss. Just as much as it suits Yang."

“I highly doubt that, Pyrrha.”

"I know it may not seem like it, but, I think you give yourself too little credit.” In that, Pyrrha was certain. It was almost painfully obvious. “I can tell how reluctant you are to leave."

Weiss only huffed, brushing the matter side. "You would be reluctant too, if you knew you'd come home to a swarm of little Grimm skittering out from every nook and cranny."

"Is that truly the only reason?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Pyrrha sighed. "Our teams are the nearest thing to what might be considered a warm and happy family. I sometimes fear it will be the only solace we will ever come to know. That being said, it would only be natural to be reluctant to leave such a comfort, wouldn't it?"

Weiss chose not to answer that. "You still talk to your relatives, don't you? At the very least they contact you. I've been stationed in the mail room before, I've seen the letters in your box."

"I keep regular contact." Pyrrha said, but the statement lacked enthusiasm. "I have no doubt in my mind that my family loves me, and that they did their absolute best to provide for me…however, I would never be able to call my mother or father particularly warm people...oh, but it's not that they're unkind at all. It's merely that they don't display emotion very well. Freedom of expression was always a secondary concern...I'm sure you understand."

"That's merely the way things are for people in our position." Weiss answered distantly. "If it's any consolation, I believe you to be plenty expressive."

"Oh, I wish that were true." Pyrrha lamented cryptically. "You are far more expressive than I shall ever be. I envy that in you, really, I do. You've always be able to say everything you've wanted to, and you stick by that spoken word avidly. If I could have even a fraction of that confidence, I'd be an entirely different woman."

"You give me far too much credit." Weiss told her, squaring her shoulders, and adjusting the bag slung across her back. "When in regards to my family, my father particularly, push came to shove. I simply shoved back. That's all there is to it."


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: A few added segments of dialogue. That's about it.
> 
> Revisited chapter length: 3,368
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 31**

Ruby spent three long days on the road before she was able to return home with visions of a hot shower and a soft bed dancing in her mind. What she didn't expect was an ambush as soon as she hit the door. One small little blur pounced first, blocking her line of sight, and forcing her to take a step backward in surprise. A much faster, and larger mass followed a breath after, bowling all three of them over, and along the front stoop.

Ruby blinked up at her captors, small Faunus claws already latching into the fabric of her cloak with a happy purr. Meanwhile a set of golden eyes reflected in the dark night, peering into Ruby's own silver orbs. Together, both Faunus seemed entirely too pleased with themselves. "I missed you too." Ruby croaked out, her aura flaring around her to soothe her back.

A soft and sweet kiss was Blake's only response as she scooped Ruby up, and carrying her inside the house, Ace still clinging into the cloak fabric, and nuzzling into Ruby's chest. "You're late." Blake noted as she took Ruby into the bedroom. "I fully expected you to be home this morning."

"Trust me, I wanted to be home the day before. You know how it goes on foot." Ruby said, allowing herself to be deposited on their shared bed.

"I do." Blake conceded. "I just don't think it was due to being on foot. Your semblance takes care of that."

Ruby winced when Blake pried the young cat Faunus from her clothes and deposited the young girl into a makeshift crib. Yang’s newest invention. Several pieces of wood had been hammered into the sides and secured by the bed posts. It was a sad display, especially since Ace could climb out of it without a second thought. Her little ears perked up before the sound of her nails clawing into the wood made Ruby laugh as Ace popped up from behind the barrier.

"So?" Blake asked, as she pulled Ace off of the wooden slats, and tucked her back in. "What kept you Ruby, really?"

"There were some problems with the cargo, but it was nothing we couldn't sort out."

Blake nodded, looking back over her shoulder one more time to make sure Ace stayed put. Then she stalked back across the room, pulling Ruby into another hug, and kissing the nape of her neck.

"Oh, Blakey don't do that, I probably taste like the forest, and who knows what else."

"Is that supposed to be a turnoff?" Blake asked, her lips still pressed to the nape of Ruby's neck.

"Well, I just don't think it's a turn on…" Ruby retorted, quite unsure what to make of the affection she was being given. She had fully expected to be marched in to the nearest shower the moment she hit the door. "I mean, it's not, right?"

Blake chuckled lightly at the question.

The woman smelled of the dense pine found in the forests, mixed with the sweetness of maple. It was as though she had been resting up against one of the trunks just the night before. Mixed with it, of course, were the less desirable fragrances of Grimm, old sweat, and oil. A tinge of something metallic, such as blood told Blake that Ruby had sustained minor injuries that had since healed.

Blake pulled away then, taking the time to unlace the muddied boots Ruby was wearing. She hadn't wanted Ruby tracking boot prints through the house, but now she had to suffer against the terrible odor that she knew would be there, trapped in the confines of the leather and steel.

"A turn on, no. A comfort, yes." Blake supplied after a moment, as her fingers worked the laces of the other boot. "Call me a worrier all you want, but I don't like not being with you."

"You know I always take currier missions alone. It's not that big a deal."

"I don't have to like it." Blake said, rising from her knelt position. "I smell old blood on your clothes, Ruby. I know it's yours. Harmless little scratches or not, I'm entitled to my worry. I'm also within my rights to insure you're not hiding any injuries from me."

"It's nothing my aura didn't mend." Ruby said with a shake of her head, lifting part of her shirt to keep Blake from searching further. "See? This was where the cuts were. It's not even from a Grimm, it's just a few scratches I got from one of the shipment boxes. There were weapons inside, but one of the grenades went off and blew the top off of the weapon's crate. Some shrapnel got me when I was covering one of the merchants."

Blake sighed softly, a mix of exasperation and amusement forcing the hot breath from her lips as she leaned in to Kiss Ruby once more. "Go wash up and get into something comfortable, and I'll make you something sweet to eat. Sound good to you?"

"Yeah, you know, it really does." Ruby nodded, not above the bribery of the matter, and smirking to herself as she considered just how curious Blake could be in her own subtle ways. It was good to be home again.

* * *

"You really should just say _something_."

"Yang, you know I can't."

"Can't or won't?"

"Would you stop living vicariously? If you're so interested in romantic overtures, perhaps you should find someone for yourself."

Yang shook her head, toying with the straw in her fruity drink. There wasn't any liquor in the bright concoction, but that didn't stop Yang from demanding an umbrella from the kitchen staff anyway. She looked across the field. Weiss was currently engaged in battle drills with Coco, the two of them seemingly trying to obliterate the entire training field in a glorious combination of bullets and dust. It was an impressive display, and the fact that neither woman held back made for a brutal fight.

“I'm not a total pervert, but Weiss has a really nice ass. Small, perky, nice and tight…you've seen Weiss naked before, tell me she's not hot."

"We've been over this."

"You're so lucky I make it a policy not to hit on people my friends have crushes on. Well, that and because I know better than to hit on Weiss. We'd last a week tops, and then kill each other." She turned to Pyrrha then. "That said, if you ask her out, she'd totally say yes."

"I doubt that."

"Pyr…"

"I'm alright Yang, truly. I'm thankful for your concern, but honestly, I'm perfectly fine with the way things are."

"Which is why you keep sighing every time you look at her." Yang pointed out. Completely ignoring the borderline murderous look her friend was giving her, Yang's voice softened. "You're like a love sick puppy. Thing is, Weiss isn't like Jaune. She's spent her entire like learning how to read people and outsmart them." Yang's voice become softer still. "She knows, Pyrrha…” Yang told the woman. “She has to know, there’s no way she doesn’t."

"She hasn't said a word to indicate such a thing." Pyrrha protested. "I'm sure that if she had even the slightest inkling, she would have confronted me."

"Nah." Yang laughed, wincing when Weiss made contact with Coco's boot, flying backwards into a dirt pile. Weiss gained her bearings before launching herself back into combat with a series of glyphs. "If living with Weiss has taught me one thing, it's that she'll bitch and moan about stuff that doesn't really matter. When it comes to the things that do, she's pretty timid."

"Truly?"

"Yep." Yang nodded, popping the end of the word between her lips. "She probably doesn't know how to deal with the idea that people genuinely like her. Aside from her older sister, Winter, she comes from a family of total assholes. Riddle me this, did your parents ever backhand you for no good reason?"

"What?!" Pyrrha shook her head, appalled by the mere thought of it. Her parents were strict, but they never once raised a hand to her maliciously. Training with her father was an entirely different matter, but even that was done with care and consideration. It was never an act of cruelty. "No! Never, of course not. Why on earth would they do something like that?"

"Hell if I know. According to my uncle, her dad's a total dickhead." Yang said with a shrug. "She doesn't talk about it, but she cries in her sleep sometimes. Between you and me, she needs someone in her life to show her a little bit of love. Having a team is great and all, and we'll always be like a family. It's not enough, though. I know that. If you think you can give her more than we can, then you really should. Weiss deserves it, and frankly, so do you."

* * *

In her humble opinion, Weiss was the most beautiful person on the face of the planet, and Pyrrha truly believed that. It wasn't just her body, intellect, or skill, though all of those things stood on their own merits. It was something else entirely that was attractive in Weiss. It was her independence, her drive, her focus. Weiss needed others by choice, not because she couldn't take care of herself. She was empowered by those around her, but could manage on her own if she absolutely had to.

In fact, in some small way she had been alone for a long time, being entirely self-reliant emotionally for far too long.

She didn't _need_ anybody, but she wanted to need others. She wanted to have those people need her in return too. Being in a relationship with her, loving her, would prove difficult for vastly different reasons than caring for Jaune had, and Pyrrha knew this. Hesitated because of it. Lastly, there was Ace to consider. Weiss refused to identify as a parent, but, in some manner of speaking, that was exactly what she was.

Weiss had a hand in raising the young girl, and Ace adored Weiss in her own way.

Furthermore, for as little as Yang thought of the matter, there was no telling what Ruby or Blake might think. Honestly, it worried Pyrrha. Would they think she was trying to be an imposition? Pyrrha had never asked, and had no way of knowing. She feared that even Weiss would turn her down based purely on her responsibilities to the household.

Weiss was a major breadwinner after all. One thing was for sure. If Weiss did accept her feelings and return them equally, Pyrrha knew her own role in Ace's life, in team RWBY's life, would reflect that.

It was one thing to be a beloved friend, and welcome babysitter. It was another ting entirely to be seen as part of the family. There was yet another problem, too.

Family…

It was a loaded word for Weiss…

For all of team RWBY, even if the title vanished, the intent remained.

With all of those things in the front of her mind, it was a murmured observation that finally outed her feelings. "I am quite taken with you." It was so soft, she prayed that Weiss didn't actually hear it. Truth be told, she hadn't actually meant to speak the runaway thought aloud.

But Weiss had heard something, and regarded Pyrrha levelly, almost as if confused.

There was no pretending now. "I…I said that I am quite taken with you." Pyrrha said, forcing her courage to stand its ground, glancing over to Weiss and finding her critical stare to be far too much to take.

"Impossible." Weiss replied. "Not to mention, it's not humorous in the least."

"It's no joke." Pyrrha said. "Loathe though I am to admit that for obvious reasons..." Pyrrha let her gaze fall then, a small hint of frustration in her words. "I am deeply interested in you Weiss, romantically speaking. Forgive me, I realize that even thinking that way isn't appropriate. We're teammates now, and I know that my feelings complicate the matter."

Weiss sighed softly, hand falling over Pyrrha's own. "I must admit, I had my suspicions. I'm more shocked that you both confirmed and debunked them."

"Yang was correct then, when she said that you were already aware." Pyrrha bit the inside of her cheek.

She was caught. Wanting no more than to put space between them, and knowing that doing so would easily offend the white haired woman. Though Pyrrha would have happily melted into oblivion, she would never do anything to upset Weiss. Pulling away would have done strictly that. The feeling of that dainty hand over her own felt like enough to trap her there forever.

There was very little irony in this moment.

No balm to heal away the truth Pyrrha worked so hard to hide. Side by side, she stood with someone who held her exposed and beating heart. Pyrrha knew she was rumored to be invincible. Yet, this was all the more proof that Pyrrha was anything of the sort. She waited for that painful grip of rejection, her breathing shallow.

The silence dragged on for far too long before Weiss broke it. "I wasn't aware that I was the cause." She said uneasily. "When you take an interest in someone, rare as it is, your demeanor changes. You become distant in some ways, despondent perhaps. In other ways, you gentle yourself. Those things, they're obvious." Weiss nodded more to herself than to Pyrrha before looking down at their joined hands.

Pyrrha was speechless to it. What could she say to that when her mouth felt like sandpaper?

Weiss tightened her grip only slightly. "So, in answer to your question, I knew there was someone. Mistakenly, I assumed your affections were aimed towards a male. Perhaps one of the guards, or, one of our new bunkmates. To me, that seemed plausible."

"It has only been you." Pyrrha murmured before her voice found some measure of strength. "I don't even know when I began to notice such feelings towards you. However, when I became positive that they would not change, I knew I would have to say something. I just didn't think it would be through a slip of the tongue such as this. For that, I sincerely am sorry. It was foolish to think that you would reciprocate my feelings."

"Don't misunderstand." Weiss said, her voice fast as a whip, and crashing through the air in the same abrupt way. Weiss tightened her grip on Pyrrha's hand further still, a layer of warm clamminess building between them. Ever so slowly, she pulled away and looked into the setting sun. "There is no possible way that you could have feelings for me, Pyrrha."

"If that’s so, then the impossible had become possible."

Weiss let go a bitter laugh. "I have done nothing to win over your affections. It was never my intention to ever put myself in such a position. Doing so with anyone would mean accepting that I'm even capable of such emotions in the first place…"

Pyrrha didn't dare hope. "But, you are capable?" She couldn't allow even a glimmer of such a thing to blind her. "You are, aren't you?"

Weiss closed in on herself. "You don't understand." Her arms wrapped around her body, as a self-imposed shield. "I came to a conclusion long ago. One that very few would ever agree with, but that I've found to be factual."

"Weiss?" Hope would only bring more pain. Yet it settled there in her chest anyway. "I want to understand. I_ need_ to."

The shorter woman swallowed hard. "It's disgusting to deny yourself. To do so for so long that it wholeheartedly becomes part of the malignancy that drives you…but when denial is all that you know, when failure to live up to even your own expectations becomes the reality you face every day…there is no escape from that…”

“Weiss-“

“Let me finish.” Weiss interrupted. “People say that emotions like that can be overcome, however I have not found a way. I would like to, but I haven't. I am nothing more than a list of my failings. How could I possibly have anything to offer?"

Pyrrha's jaw worked back and forth, as if to speak, but no words were able to come out as her chest constricted tighter. The pain of rejection was so easy to cast aside when Weiss looked as if she were suffering from some unimaginable ache that had lingered for years, buried so deeply that no one was to know about it…

But, that wasn't true either. Yang obviously had known, had spoken of it so much that Pyrrha mentally berated her own blindness.

She narrowed her eyes, frowning, wondering where on the face of Remnant that Weiss had learned to hate herself so greatly. It wasn't low self-esteem. This was different.

Sinister.

To Weiss, it was as steadfast as fact. One that could not be changed. One that would never be. Pyrrha already had a good idea of who to blame for this, and internally, she was wishing the man damnation for it.

Outwardly, her green eyes softened. "You truly have no concept of how wonderful a person you are, do you?"

"I have done irredeemable things, Pyrrha…” Weiss told her. “Things that if you knew, you would greatly rethink the way you see me. The very blood that runs through my body isn't noble. The things my family have done are unforgiveable, and even my elder sister is not without fault. I can't even fathom the extent of the atrocities that continue because of my family. Even if I could, I can't do anything to stop them, not truly."

“You are not your family…”

“I am cut from the same cloth. Take of that what you will.” She grit her teeth, a show of rage that was aimed entirely inward. Completely at herself. "As if all of that wasn't complicated enough to deal with, I have to look at myself in the mirror every day. I know the truth. I know that I will never be the person I want to be." She said, turning fully towards Pyrrha. "Look at me, Pyrrha." She demanded, her hands splayed out at her sides as though to showcase herself fully. "The person I wanted to be was never _this_, and then to be a lesbian on top of it…"

Pyrrha did the only thing she could think of to do. She put her arms around Weiss as securely as possible. "I would not think differently."

"Don't do this to me..."

"I already have." And having Weiss in her arms was heavenly in spite of everything. "I'm sorry, Weiss, truly I am. However, I cannot accept those things as a proper rejection. I cannot give up so easily, especially when you have not turned me away. You have not denied me, all you seem to be doing is denying yourself…and I cannot let you do that."

"There is no possible way you could want this." Weiss argued weakly.

"Yes, I do." There was no hesitation in her voice. It was soft, but full of resolve and steel. "I want this more than you could ever even fathom. I know that you _are_ capable of returning my feelings. So long as I am sure of that, I have nothing to fear."

"I can't." Weiss shot back. "I'm a monster, born and raised. Don't you understand? You're going to get hurt…"

"Then let me get hurt!" Pyrrha demanded, pulling away only far enough to cup those porcelain cheeks in her hands, her thumbs pushing away the waterfall that started to form in those crystal blue eyes. "Let me see the real you, and if that hurts me, so be it. Let me decide if you're worth the pain you think you'll cause." For as delicate as Weiss looked, Pyrrha felt like she was trying to break down a fortress, the likes of which she had never encountered before. "Weiss, please, just let me love you."

Weiss closed her eyes as she shook uncontrollably. Nodding her head was the only answer she could manage before Pyrrha gave her another tight hug that Weiss melted into. Her tears were still freely flowing in silence. Her breath was uneven, though her sobs were soundless. A purging of so many things she'd bottled up for years dripping out of her like poison as she wrapped her arms around Pyrrha in return.

How could one woman smash down her defenses so easily? Why did Pyrrha even want to?

Love was a fallacy. A lie people told to get what they wanted. It wasn't real, it couldn't be real.

Yet, in that moment, Weiss truly wished it was.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: The Qrow scene in this chapter was originally written before I knew what Qrow’s semblance truly was. The fact that it was misfortune hadn’t been confirmed. Remember this was originally written near the end of Volume 3. At the time, I simply assumed that his turning into a bird was his semblance, or at least part of it. Under that logic, it would make sense that Ruby and Yang actually knew that his bird form was completely possible. It upset some people before for reasons that still baffle me. I’ve left the scene in because I didn’t see fit to remove it. 
> 
> This fiction is in essence an “AU” anyway given current cannon. Most of the major plot elements such as Raven being dead, Ace even existing, and many others simply don’t follow cannon logic anyway. That said, Qrow won’t either. I don’t particularly care if the scene doesn’t hold to cannon standard. It was fun to write back then and even more fun for me to snicker at now. 
> 
> Revisited chapter length: 3,368  
“Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 32**

All was not harmonious back at home. Trouble was brewing in the form of one very small, yet very mischievous bundle of energy.

Ruby sighed, seeing the dirty footprints along the floor, and in some small way they reminded her of paw prints not unlike the one her family dog used to leave behind after a storm left the ground too muddy. These were not ones made from mud, but rather from soot. They began from the fireplace before trailing into the kitchen. They rounded the table several times before leading back out and under the sofa. Then from the sofa to the coffee table, several times back and forth. Finally, they trailed to the bedroom where the child was covered in black ash that scattered around her as she shook her head wildly from side to side.

A now equally dirty Blake held the little girl by her overalls as the small child batted at the air playfully, none the wiser about the complete mess she had made of herself, caregiver, and the house.

"She pried the door open again, didn't she?" Blake deadpanned.

"You don't want to see what she did to the drapes, either." Ruby said, leaning on the door frame. "Weiss is going to freak out when she sees what happened to them."

"The same thing Ace did to her socks, I assume…" The once white material had two gaping holes in them as if they had been shredded, little toes sticking out. It was anyone's guess if she had clawed or chewed through them, only that it was the countless pair. Her shoes had suffered a similar fate only a few days before, and it was a small wonder Ace hadn't shredded the rest of the clothing on her body. "My question is, what were you doing when all of this happened?"

"Dispatching another nest of death stalkers that were making a home at the bottom of the kitchen cupboard. I ended up having to re-arrange the whole thing." Ruby just shrugged then, using her thumb to clear away the smudges Ace had given Blake's cheek. "I thought the house was too quiet for its own good… I knew she was running around, but I didn't think she was a mess. I'll go clean everything up, though it may take a while."

Blake rolled her eyes, trying her best to clean Ace with a few wet-wipes, before setting the little girl back down and sighing as she scampered after one of her stuffed toys on the floor. "You know, they have playpens that close off at the top for problem climbers."

"What kind of playpen is that?" Ruby asked, surprised.

"Well, there are all kinds. Most are padded with foam on the bottom and sides. Some have dents and ledges to climb up and hide in. Sun probably had one as a baby so he didn't hang upside down and break his neck." Blake said thoughtfully. "The only issue is, I think our ceilings are too low for conventional measurements."

Ruby watched Ace play as though she didn't have a care in the world. What Blake spoke of sounded more like a cage than anything, and Ruby wasn't quite sure how to navigate such a delicate conversation. "I don't want to sound weird, but I'd think anything with the word 'pen' in it would be a negative thing for a Faunus."

"It's a measure of safety." Blake responded easily. "Though, you're right, it's also a matter of contention, just like with everything else. Some Faunus do refuse to use them. I think it comes down to the situation. If she's climbing the drapes, soon it'll be the walls, then it'll be hiding places up high too, and not just under the furniture. A playpen can give her those spaces so she's not inventing them…for example, in the fireplace."

"Why does she even go in there?” Ruby ask as a hand fell onto her hip. “All she does is get dirty and sneeze everywhere."

"Probably to look for Yang." Blake said. "You both come home smelling like a campfire from time to time. She probably finds it comforting."

"Well, I have some sweeping to do if I don't want this whole house to smell like ash." Ruby said with a shake of her head. "Can you keep her in here with you? I still need to check the living areas for Grimm."

"The house isn't the only thing that needs a proper cleaning." Blake said.

Ruby simply grinned. "The yowling will be real. I pray for your hearing, and I'll have your tea ready for you."

"Thanks Ruby." Blake sighed as she went to go run the bath water. "I'm going to need it."

* * *

She had just cleaned the entire house, making it spotless in a way that would have even made Weiss happy.

All of the hard work had been dashed to bits in a matter of moments. Her mouth went dry, a ball of unpleasant emotion balling up in her chest as she grit her teeth. She tried to speak, but her jaw worked silently. Ruby remembered exactly why her father and her uncle used to get into explosive arguments. It was times like these that the shouting matches would become the lullaby she fell asleep to.

In fact, Ruby was beside herself as she took sight of her living room, she had never seen such a mess in her life. Well, not one that had given her such a reason for panic. Black feathers covered the floor, and her uncle, finally in his human form, sprawled out looking dazed. Blood seeped from his arm. Although he chuckled mildly, she knew from the tone of his voice that it was anything but pleasant.

The worst thing though, the part that had her heart sinking into her chest, was the crimson that lingered on Ace's lips...

The young Faunus was spluttering unpleasantly, spitting feathers as she wildly shook her head from side to side, small hisses indicating her complete and total displeasure.

When her brain started to finally form words, it was in the form of a booming shout that bounced harshly off the walls as she chastised her uncle. "WHAT IN THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

The sound sent Ace fleeing in terror, and Blake to come rampaging out of the bedroom with her weapon in hand, only to skid to a stop when she took sight of who caused the ruckus. "Do I even want to know what the fuck just happened?" She snarled lowly, trying to decide if Qrow was being a threat, or just an idiot.

"He's drunk…" Ruby accused hotly.

“Tipsy.” He corrected.

“He’s trashed!” Ruby sot back. "And did something really, really stupid!"

“Only kind of stupid…”

Finally collecting herself, she forced out a murmured curse. She was calmer, although her tone was still so agitated that it sent rather unpleasant tingles down Blake's spine. The cat Faunus put her weapon away, watching Ruby slowly piece herself back together. "Uncle Qrow, you can't just do things like that, you should-"

Ruby's rant continued. It was a blur to Blake. The Faunus kept her ears pressed flat against her head. She hated that tone of voice. She couldn't place why, but the feeling was enough to make the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. A small half growl, half whine tried to break out from the depths of her throat and chest. As though her instincts told her to placate Ruby's obvious ire, and that was when Blake realized why it troubled her so.

Ruby was not one to find anger so readily available, and never while reeking of fear along with it, as though she had witnessed a momentary terror her mind was struggling to process.

It was bothersome to the senses, and to a Faunus, that meant it was irksome to the very core of her being. Blake swore she could almost taste Ruby's scent in the air. The normally soft and sweet odors were pungent, raw…

Pissed off…

"So, I'll ask you again, have you lost your ever-loving mind?" Ruby asked as she finished her tirade, her ire still palatable.

"For the record, you and Yang used to love when I changed into a little birdie when you were her age…" He man just smirked at them like an idiot. "Didn't think she'd try to eat me."

"Wait. Ace tried to eat him?" Blake asked, genuinely surprised. “Like, actually eat him?” Her voice cracked. She was struggling to keep her voice in check. She didn’t want her confused mewl to slip into it.

Ruby grit her teeth at her uncle, and sighed. Calming down significantly. There was no helping it, and she knew that. "I think she was only going to play with him, but she did have his arm in her mouth. Well, his wing. He was in bird form, landed on the chair, and didn't change back before Ace nabbed him." Ruby continued as she helped to pick him up off the floor. "Nothing like having your uncle in your little sister's mouth to give you a heart attack."

"Well forgive me for thinking I might be exempt from the food chain." He groused. "Maybe flying in here all bird-like wasn't the best idea to ever be had, but order are orders."

"And then you wonder why she tries to maul you to death…" Blake sighed, not having any sympathy for his completely battered arm. It was already almost done healing anyway. Soon, it would be good as new. "For future reference, if you ever do that again, I'll rip your arm off myself and beat you with it." Then she turned to Ruby. "I'm going to go get Ace out from whatever bed she's cowering under…"

Qrow could only groan. "Never doing that shit again, trust me." He flinched at the soreness in his wrist, feeling his aura heal that away too. "It was Ozpin's idea, not mine."

Ruby's eyes narrowed. "Ozpin's idea to what, exactly?"

The black haired man rolled his in return. "To come by and check up on the little hellion.” He told her, getting himself comfortable. He pulled his flask from his pocket to have a sip. “She really is like her mom, you know that? All full of piss n' vinegar. Kind of cute, reminds me of old times."

"Right now, I'm trying to decide if she isn't more like you. When you get bored around Winter, something always breaks.” Ruby complained. “Look at this! You guys made a huge mess. It's bad enough she makes them all the time, but then you go along and help her." Ruby said as she took his flask away from him and sat down. "Was flying through the open kitchen window and flapping around the house like a crazy person really your idea of checking up?"

"Well, I had to get my excitement somewhere." He shrugged. "I kind of made a mess, didn't I?"

"Yep." Ruby said, popping then end of the word dryly. "And you are cleaning it up. Like right now, before Blake comes back."

"Well shit, thought you'd say that." He said. "Suppose I don't get my flask back until I do?"

"If you're lucky." Ruby deadpanned. "Do you remember where the dust pan and broom are?"

At this, he barked a laugh. "Unfortunately, yeah, I do…"

Ruby scrubbed at her face, and swallowed back the last trickles of shock. Her shoulders sagged completely under the weight of momentary peacefulness as she picked herself back up and headed in the kitchen. Pulling out a package of tuna steaks for dinner, she shook her head. Her uncle hated fish in general, but she hoped the small gesture would soothe the women in her life. Guiltily, she went to work, trying to push the entire fiasco out of her mind.

* * *

"Sight for sore eyes, that…" Qrow said more to himself than Ruby while he leaned on the doorway between the living area and the kitchen. "Reminds me of better days."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, peaking around to see just what he was looking at. The apron she wore was entirely too long for her since it belonged to Blake. She didn't mind as she dusted her hands off, and taking in the sight in front of her.

Sitting happily in front of the television was Ace. Blake hunched over the small child with a brush in her hand, muttering curses under her breath at the unruly and wild strands of hair. A children's program flickered across the screen, the only thing rooting Ace to her spot. Occasionally she'd growl or whine when she felt the bristles touch her scalp, but Blake handled each knot with care, conditioning and schooling the frizz…which was why the entire ordeal had gone on for over an hour already.

Qrow chuckled distantly. "Just memories. They creep up on me when I don't expect them."

"At least they're good though, right?" Ruby asked.

"Nether good or bad, really." He said. "Funny thing about drinking, it dumbs down everything. It gets me by, but, that's the down side."

"Can you at least tell me what you were thinking about?"

"It's just a feeling I get." He nodded back over to the sight. "Summer used to do that with Yang. Now that I think about it, Yang always loved to be around Summer. Listened to her better than anyone else." Qrow glanced over at Ruby then. "Tai and I, we couldn't tell Raven shit and expect her to take it to heart. Summer had a way with her though…a way with all of us, really. That's what I was thinking about."

"Oh..." Ruby pulled away from the doorway. "I suppose that makes sense."

"Your mom was a really good person, Ruby, but we knew better than to get on her bad side. She had strong opinions, and could shut any of us up with a glance." At this he shrugged, a soft laugh falling from his lips. "Summer ruled the roost. There was no question about that. Yang might have been little, but she noticed that I think."

Ruby smirked, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm going to go check the grill." She said, walking out of the kitchen and onto the small patio in the back where the grill sat. She lifted the lid, and watched the charcoal at work. It was hot enough for the tuna steaks, she decided, and began to place them as her uncle followed her out. "How long are you going to stay around this time?" She asked, no heat to her words, only curiosity.

"And that's what it comes down to, huh kiddo?" He asked somewhat bitterly. "Not that I don't get it, but, you know the profession just as well as I do."

"You're right. I am a huntress, so I know when you're lying now." Ruby told him as she turned to look at him. "I know the difference between you being three sheets to the wind after a long dry spell, and you just being drunk for the sake of it."

"Okay, I'll level with you. I've got some things to look into, and Ace might be part of it." He sighed as he eyed his empty flask. "The other part just might be that I'm trying to be a good uncle. Don't tell that to Oz, though, he'll never let me live it down."

"You really should sober up." Ruby said offhandedly. "And think before you act..."

"Thinking, yeah sure. I thought about it plenty before I did it...and as for sobriety?" Qrow had considered it several times, all of them he had come to the same conclusion. One that he wasn't proud of, but it was his all the same. "I would clean up if it was worth it…it just isn't."

"Not even for the people who care about you?" She asked.

"It's more complicated than that, Ruby. I've got a problem. I'll own up to that, but it's my demon, not yours. If I would have found a benefit from quitting, I would have done it a long time ago. Trust me on that."

For a long time, Ruby said nothing, just flipping the steaks, and glaring daggers into the grill marks. "Just your demon, huh? Maybe or maybe not." Ruby finally murmured. "I hope we will never have to know."

* * *

"Hey, Velvet, can I ask you a question?" Yang asked in passing while she was watching the cameras with a bored expression on her face.

She liked being outside, but visibility was low, and the rain made the usual scouting trips impossible. Weiss had her glyphs to keep above the slick and muddy ground, and Fox didn't mind the terrible conditions. He used his semblance to map out the area around him. Loud sounds like rolling thunder and the horrible visibility didn't hamper him in the slightest. What did get in his way was the terrain, and he went sliding in the mud on more than one occasion due to his horrible footing.

Due to all of the rain, the Grimm were out in force. Those who weren't able to hunt in the weather were busy fortifying Vale's defenses both against Grimm, and the flooding that was sure to be happening along the rivers and costliness.

"You can ask me whatever you would like, although, I may not have an answer." Velvet said, wearing her specialized earplugs. She could still hear in her human ears just fine, but her Faunus ears needed to be protected against the thunder. Otherwise her all too sensitive hearing be compromised.

"What was it like as a kid? Can't imagine growing up with rabbit ears. Can't hide them like Blake, can't be seen as an equal because some people are assholes." Yang asked mildly, softening the intensive question by way of her normal jovial demeanor and caring personality. "How'd you deal with that?"

"To humans, a Faunus is a Faunus. What traits we have don't matter. We are what we are, and some humans hate that." Velvet dismissed.

"Yeah, but you had a normal life, right?" Yang had to hope. "Like with parents, and school, siblings, all of that?"

"In a manner of speaking." Velvet carefully checked her own set of monitors, finding them clear of Grimm. "What is this about, Yang?"

"Well, I can't ask Blake, she didn't have the same kind of upbringing I did. She wasn't a normal kid like the Faunus I grew up with on Patch." Yang said with a shrug as she watched Pyrrha meet up with a few of Vale's emergency teams to lead the fortification efforts. Even Glynda Goodwitch could be seen on the local news station upheaving impossibly large chunks of rock, to settle them in key locations around the perimeter.

"I'm well aware of Blake's upbringing. Her family was a key part of Faunus culture, part of our history." Velvet wondered just how much Yang knew, knowing it was likely very little. Still, it wasn't her story to tell. "You're right though, she wasn't a normal child. She didn't have the luxury to be. So, what is it you would like to know?"

"Just…you know, what it was like?"

Velvet pressed her lips together. That was a loaded question at best. "Well, first off, I should probably preface this by saying that any Faunus hunter will probably be far from normal. Our lifestyle as huntresses demand a different way of thinking. That goes double for Faunus like me."

"Yeah, I guess I can see that." Yang agreed. "It's just you weren't always a huntress. You had to come from somewhere... You had to have a history. We all do."

At that, Velvet let out a small huff. Human curiosity always confused her. "My parents are both rabbit Faunus such as myself. It's common to seek mates with complimentary traits and species. It's not written in stone, but it is more common than a rabbit and cat Faunus, to use an example. Generally, carnivores stick with other carnivores or omnivores. Herbivores prefer other herbivores or omnivores as well.”

“Blake doesn’t just eat meat, you know.”

“We have mostly human bodies, we all need a balanced diet. Most carnivore Faunus eat at least a few vegetables. Meat is their preference, though.” Velvet shrugged. “It all comes down to instinct and personality, Yang. The two mix more often than not.”

“What do you mean?”

“Shouldn’t you be asking Blake about this?”

“I want another opinion…”

Velvet looked over to Yang and merely nodded softly. “Fair enough.” Her eyes returned back to the monitors in careful thought. “There are some significant changes in instinctual urges, even among like-minded species. A cat Faunus like Blake might generally prefer smaller social groups instinctually. That urge, coupled with her personality, might dictate a lot of factors in her life. Things like friends, family, profession, pretty much everything…”

“So, what about others, then?”

“It depends, Yang. I can’t just put every Faunus in the same box.” Velvet told her. “If I had to give sweeping generalizations, though, think about the people you know. Monkey and rabbit Faunus like myself usually value larger social groups. For our wild counterparts, living in large families keeps us safer. That instinct might carry over to a Faunus, but, it might not. In the same sense, some animals are loners entirely. A Faunus might live that way too. That could simply be the urge they have, coupled with the fact that they may like having a lot of alone time.”

“Sounds complicated…”

“It’s only complicated because you’re asking me to explain what comes naturally to a Faunus. You’re a human, an entirely different species.” Velvet said while rolling her eyes. “You have your own set of instincts too. Those gut feelings that everyone gets. Things that aren’t always rational, but the feelings are there anyway. Those are instincts. Humans just don’t rely on them the way that Faunus do. You evolved differently, and that’s just the way it is.”

“Velvet, I have to know what I’m up against.” Yang told her. “I’ve got a Faunus for a sister, and I’m sick to relying on Blake all the time for every little detail. It’s not her problem, it should be mine.”

“But it _is_ Blake’s responsibility.” Velvet replied. “She’s the dominant Faunus in the house, and a woman besides. If Blake didn’t have an instinctual urge to become a matriarch, you would know. If it went against every instinct Blake had, she would have rejected your little sister completely.” Velvet pitied Yang, truly. She had no idea, and she probably never would. “We are Faunus, Yang, and you are not. Like it or not, there are some things you will never understand.”

“I can at least try, though, can’t I?” Yang asked sadly.

Velvet just shrugged. Yang needed a wake-up call. She just didn’t know if she could be the one to do it. “Let’s focus on something a little different for a second.” Velvet began. “It's even less common for a Faunus to be with a human. Although in some circles, like hunters, it's more common than the general public."

At that Yang let out a small laugh. "That bad, huh?”

"I don't think it is." Velvet said. "You said you grew up in Patch. Like most islands and outer villages, racism isn't as rampant. Well, just like human settlements, Faunus have Menagerie. A territory all our own, so Faunus who grow up there aren't discriminated against. Well, at least, not for being Faunus.”

“What would be discriminated against?” Yang asked.

“Being exclusively gay, for example.” Velvet replied. “That's not well received by many Faunus. Our urge to mate and rear offspring is part of our baser nature. So, the moment a Faunus says that they’re gay, it doesn’t make sense. Most Faunus think being gay is very unnatural. Homosexuality makes rearing genetic offspring through mating completely impossible. It requires medical intervention, and that’s thought to be a human science."

Yang raised an eyebrow, thinking the concept completely stupid, but wisely didn't comment.

She had been Blake's partner long enough to know that the divide between humans and Faunus wasn't just because of oppression. Though that was the largest and arguably most detrimental part of it. Blake and Velvet were educated people, inspired, and among what Yang would consider an enlightened few.

However, Yang had met more Faunus because of conflict than because of peace.

When it came to the large cities like Vale, the discrimination on both sides was palatable. As such, she had determined part of the divide was because neither side could fully accept the other.

There simply weren't these kinds of problems on Patch. Although the island population was few in number, it wasn't racially divided to such an extreme. Growing up, one of her best friends had been a Faunus. No one had questioned it, no one probably even batted an eye at all.

"So, putting aside the gay thing…you didn't live in Vale then, did you?" Yang asked. "You were an island baby?"

Velvet nodded. "I was born in Vale. I'm in the middle of my siblings, of which I have many. We moved to an outer village when I was very young. Later, we made the voyage Menagerie. The memories from being little are foggy, as far back as I can easily recall, Menagerie was my home. I came back to Vale only to attend Beacon. Up until then, the upbringing I had was probably more like yours…”

“Oh…”

“I'm sorry, I'm sure that I haven’t been very helpful."

"Actually, it's a lot more helpful than you think. It’s nice knowing that everything's not always a big deal all the time." Yang shrugged as she turned back to watch the screens. "Blake is very focused on Faunus rights, and she should be, don't get me wrong. It’s just, when I think about that, I worry about Ace. I want what's best for her, you know? I don't want her to have to suffer. I hate all that crap I see in the news…"

"I think I understand." Velvet said slowly. "I won't say that your sister won't face discrimination, because she will. I won't say that she will never be picked on, because she will. Instead, I’ll just say that she'll be fine, so long as she's around a good group of people. I think that's the hardest thing for anyone. It’s hard finding where you belong. If she can find a place among her peers like I did, then any and all harassment she runs into won't matter as much."

"Yeah, but, it's finding those people that I'm worried about." Yang sighed. "What if she doesn't?"

"You can’t think that way. She’s going to be driven to find a place of her own. You have to believe she will." Velvet responded. “When it happens Yang, you’re going to have to accept it. There may come a time when you'll have to let her go. We're not human, and, we never will be.”


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: Some scenes were added onto, others were adjusted slightly. Two new scenes were added. That’s about it.
> 
> Revisited chapter length: 4,553
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 33**

Standing on guard gave them one thing, time.

Plenty of it.

Hours at a time they kept watch. They needed a way to keep focus, a way to chip away at the feeling of boredom, and conversation had been their way to do that.

Ever since the day Pyrrha had spoken of her feelings, an awkwardness wove itself between them. Idle conversation didn't seem quite so idle anymore. Weiss had always been very careful about what she disclosed to her friends. She had always been meticulous in how exactly she went about doing that. Mistakenly, she had thought Pyrrha was the same.

Although Weiss considered herself to be rather open around her friends, there were some things she just didn't talk about. Silence was safer than spoken word.

How could she possibly detail over two decades of conclusions that had jaded her? How could she justify her own stringent moral failings? Ill-begotten as they were, they were still her crosses to bear, and she protected those personal hells very carefully. It was just a matter of speaking her mind, and she knew that…

Sadly, her mind was a poisonous place to be. She had done damage before unthinkingly, unintentionally, simply by speaking her views.

If she were to explain herself to Pyrrha, she would have to speak using the very foundation of her upbringing as a crutch. A cornerstone to which all of her other conclusions were built upon. Some of those assumptions had been smashed into tiny bits, and buried deep inside along with whatever admiration she had left of her family. That alone was a dark place to think, mentally.

Yet, Pyrrha wanted to know, and Weiss found it quite difficult not deny such an earnest, hopeful request… But, where to start? Well, Weiss knew where, but that didn't make the topic any less uncomfortable.

"My father is an impressive man." Weiss explained as she leaned on her usual slab of brick. "He may not be many things, and the things that you can define him as would be distasteful even in the worst of company. For all of that, for what he is, and what he isn't, all of it is impressive. No matter my views, no matter my station, that was the sort of person I felt destined to become… An impressive person… However, as I am, that's impossible."

Pyrrha frowned deeply, she hadn't expected such a response. The Schnee family itself was prestigious, anyone would be a fool to argue otherwise. "Weiss, that's just not true."

"Yes, it is." Weiss wondered when she had finally figured that out, but it was long before graduation. "There's something you need to understand, Pyrrha. You never truly wanted your fame. For all the power it gives you, you truly don't need it, nor do you truly desire it. I need his power. I need his status. To keep the promises I made to the people I care about, I would have had to sell my soul. I would have had to become a carbon copy of his image, and bend to his willpower. I didn't do that."

"No one wanted you to."

"But I still _should have_." Weiss gave Pyrrha a sideways glance. "I'd rather not elaborate the point."

"How am I to understand if you don't?"

Weiss bit her lower lip. "How many Faunus die yearly under my father's thumb? How many of my father's personal friends line their pockets with the blood, sweat, and tears from labor forces? How many unknowing people are dragged into his questionable practices, none the wiser that what they're doing is wrong? There are dust shops remnant wide buying from him, they're perpetuating the need for even more underpaid labor… Trafficking… Who knows what else."

"Weiss, your father's sins are not your own to bear." Pyrrha replied earnestly. "You have to believe that."

"You could be right. However, the question comes down to this; how many lives have I thrown away carelessly, all for the sake of my own?"

"I…" Pyrrha nipped on the tip of her tongue. "Weiss, I…" She shook her head. "I don't know what I could possibly say to that."

"Because there is nothing _to_ say." Weiss laminated. "The numbers are staggering, and that's my fault."

"No…" Green eyes closed behind closed lids. "No, it's not your fault."

"It will always be my fault." Weiss pressed, without even a flinch. "I'm not looking for pity, or to be consoled. I'm telling you the truth. I chose to walk away from Atlas. I disobeyed my father, and flagrantly disregard his warnings. I chose to put down the responsibility given to me, knowing that doing so would be the same as claiming that hundreds of thousands of lives were less significant than my own…" Weiss bit her lip then. "I didn't act for the greater whole. Not for Faunus, or for humans… I acted for myself, Pyrrha. I know that what I did has lasting repercussions."

There were millions of words Pyrrha could have spewed from her mouth. Several she considered as they stood at their post quietly. Still, she was not a daft woman. She was not blind to the one simple fact that sat between every word Weiss used to berate herself. When it came to life experience, Weiss had an upbringing that was akin to an untamed foal. One that had been beaten too many times. One that had been too terrified to bolt, and too reliant on the man that kept breaking her until it was too late.

Words wouldn't heal her. Even if they had such a power, they would have to come from elsewhere. So instead of saying anything at all, Pyrrha wordlessly moved closer to Weiss and slowly slung an arm around her and pulled her close. Inwardly Pyrrha hoped the gesture would be enough.

* * *

“Nora!”

“Whoops…”

“Why didn’t you just use the can opener?” Ruby asked, looking at the can of green beans that had gone flying in every direction.

“It broke.” Nora complained, holding the dilapidated piece of machinery aloft. “This whole place is broken.”

“It’s what we have to work with.” Blake sighed slicing up vegetables for the soup pot.

“I know, and it really ticks me off.” Nora told her as she pushed the can away as though it had offended her. “I’ll be back…”

“Where are you going?” Ruby asked as Nora got her weapon out of the nearby locker.

“To the store to buy a new can opener.” She said, already checking her wallet for lien. “This kitchen can’t keep going like this. If we can’t even make soup, something’s gone really wrong around here. I’m going to fix it piece by piece until nothing is broken ever again.” Nora slammed the exit door behind her, her self-imposed mission firmly and place. No one was going to talk her out of it.

Ruby just shook her head, smiling softly at Nora’s resolve.

The soup kitchen was on its last leg. It had been that way for a while. No funding was coming in, and charity was running low. All of the workers were starting to put in their own funding to help buy supplies. Food, toiletries, and other items needed to me purchased, and everyone had been helping in any way they could. Nora’s pockets seemed to be the deepest of all, and she wouldn’t accept a ‘no’ for an answer.

She had already bought a new microwave, a new set of knives, and two new sets of pots and pans to cook with. Now it seemed she was buying a new can opener too.

For Nora, it wasn’t just charity. It was personal. Her childhood had been spent in places like this, and she was bound and determined to make sure that it stayed up and running. She had spent more than one night hungry, and she wouldn’t dare let someone else go through that. Not if she had anything to say about it. As it turned out, Nora had plenty to say, even when everyone else had almost given up.

She wouldn’t stop, wouldn’t slow down. She would just keep finding things to fix, using her own hard earned money to see the matter through.

“Well, it’s held together with tape and a prayer, but I finally got the hot water working.” Ren said, coming up from the basement and closing the door behind him. “Where’s Nora?”

“Buying a new can opener.” Blake told him, passing the existed man a bottle of water for his troubles.

“Of course.” He murmured.

“Maybe you should take her wallet away from her.” Ruby told him. “We can’t pay any of this back, and it’s getting expensive.”

Ren merely shook his head as he looked around. “No, it’s fine.” He said, sitting down on a creaky old stool in the corner. “We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t want to. This is why we became hunters in the first place. If we couldn’t at least do this, we’d never be able to justify all of the years we put into getting our licenses in the first place.”

“I just don’t want you guys breaking the bank…” Ruby said.

Ren wasn’t deterred in the slightest. “Too many people rely on places like these. Each one that’s shut down displaces a lot of people. We’ve been in that position before. If we can prevent it just once, Nora would sleep a lot easier at night, and I would to.”

“Yeah, but if you keep this up, will you even be able to manage the bills?”

“In a way we’re being selfish.” Ren told them. “Our household doesn’t have money problems. Pyrrha still has some cash in her saving account from all of sponsorships. When we graduated from Beacon, she put our names on the account too. Pyrrha doesn’t want to use it for herself, so nobody’s touched it. All of the money Nora has been getting came from that account. It would just sit there unused otherwise. Pyrrha understands.”

"But, then that's her money..."

"It's not hers. She had never felt that way." Ren said. "In her words, it belongs to the people of Remnant. Faunus are people too. This is where the money belongs, don't ever doubt that."

* * *

Being stationed along the wall was easy, but going home was hard. Although they lived directly across from each other, just as they always had, Pyrrha could feel the divide. Maybe it had always been there. Maybe, before, she was content to ignore the fact that the woman she cared about was just out of reach. Even if that had been the case before, Pyrrha was far from content now as she sat on her front stoop.

Looking forlornly at the door to the other household, she wondered if Weiss was thinking about her, too.

"It's a door, not a Grimm you know." Jaune said, shocking Pyrrha out of her thoughts as he hung out of his bedroom window.

Green eyes lifted to glare at him softly. She wasn't truly angry, merely startled, and the stern features melted away when her heart didn't feel crammed in her throat. "How long have you been watching me?"

"I don't know…” He said, scratching the back of his head. “Awhile, I guess. I think that’s about the fifth sigh, give or take…" Jaune trailed off. "What's got you so down, anyway?"

"Nothing at all." Pyrrha said, and she knew it to be the truth. "I'm just fine, and things are going well."

It was the truth, too. Not a single lie woven between the words. Things were going well, far better than she expected, at any rate. Even if she couldn't say for sure that Weiss would take her feeling seriously, the white haired woman hadn't completely brushed her off either.

It would take time, but she was sure she could earn the shorter woman's affections. She had the distinct impression Weiss wanted to give them as well. It merely seemed that Weiss hadn't the slightest idea how to go about doing that.

"Okay, everything is going well. That's good then. So, what's with the sighing?" Jaune asked.

"I just have something on my mind." Pyrrha said, standing, and leaning on the brick wall. "Something that I don't think should be made public quite yet. Honestly, I'm not sure there's anything to speak of, but…" Her green eyes drifted back to the door just down the alleyway. "What would you do, Jaune, if you had a friend with a troubled past?”

“Um…” At this Jaune found himself lost. “It kind of depends on the past.”

“What if that friend confided in you?” She pressed. “Furthermore, what if that friend did it in such a way, that you feared doing anything that might hurt them more?"

"What would I do, huh? Hmm..." Jaune seemed to think on this before shrugging. "Beats me." He said as he looked across the street. "Weiss isn't the kind of person to confide in people at all. If she has told you something, maybe that's enough."

"How did you know it was Weiss?" Pyrrha asked, completely floored by the actually correct guess. Normally, his cluelessness was baffling, not to mention borderline offensive. Yet, he had understood the hidden nature of her question perfectly, and she demanded to know how on Remnant that was even possible.

"I don't know how to put my finger on it." Jaune said thoughtfully, squinting at something unseen by Pyrrha. "It's like, this feeling I get. When I see you two together, it just seems like that's the way it should be." He smirked then. "I don't why it comes to mind, only that it does."

Pyrrha smiled sadly at him. "I feel the same way, but, I'm not so sure that Weiss does. I think she wants to, but she's afraid to."

"Well, you're doing better than I ever did…" He deadpanned. "I'm lucky Weiss even puts up with me at all. Think about the way I acted. I was such a jackass looking back on it all, but, there's nothing I can do about that now, is there?"

"You meant well." Pyrrha offered.

"Road paved to hell, and all that." Jaune said, waving the matter aside. "You mean well too, don't you?"

"Was there ever any doubt of that?"

"No, but, I care about you. You'll always be my partner, and you're a really great person…”

“I’m sensing a ‘but’ somewhere in all of that.”

“I know how you are, Pyr." He said in the way only an ex-boyfriend ever could. "You'll do anything you can, and everything you can. Sometimes, you just can't, you know? Weiss can be really rude when she pushes people away. I don't want you to get hurt if all this backfires. I know how much it sucks to be on the receiving end of it."

"However, your heart was in the right place." Pyrrha told him with a soft smile. One that faded a little as she continued. "Besides, if you hadn't taken an interest in her, I would have never seen all of the truly good qualities in you. There's more to you than meets the eye, and I was very fortunate to see that side of you. I know you don't believe me, and that probably you never will, but you're a good man."

"Yeah, well, you're a good woman." He told her. "Not that you need any advice… If it were me, though, I'd go talk to her. If I knew I had even half the chance that you do, I wouldn't be sitting on my front stoop."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes at this. "I don't want to bother her."

"What bother? Go knock on the door." Jaune asked. "Take it from me, the worst she can possibly do is slam it in your face…"

"You would know, wouldn't you?" Pyrrha shook her head, laughing a little bit. "Now, I know I've been a little persistent, but I doubt she would do that."

"Then why are you still just sitting there?"

That, Pyrrha had to concede, was a very good question...

* * *

They were sharing a bed, but intimacy itself was a slow process. Blake had tried to be careful when it came to her advances, but truth be told, that was getting difficult. She wanted to make a proper claim on Ruby, one that defined them as mates. In order to do that, they needed to be sexually active, and Ruby wasn’t quite ready to cross that bridge just yet. There were times that Blake thought they’d be getting closer to that point, but then the reality would set in.

Ace would take a wayward little sniff of the air, and Ruby would be on edge all over again. It wasn’t that Blake didn’t understand, it was that she couldn’t.

Scent was such an intrinsic part of her life she that couldn’t comprehend the way Ruby bristled at the thought. She knew very personal details thanks to scent alone, and those little truths weren’t things that humans talked about. For them, it just wasn’t proper. Lying in bed together was as much a blessing as it was a curse, because Blake knew that she would not be at peace until she could mark Ruby as her own.

She also knew that Ace would tone down her sniffing if scent finally told her something clear. Something unambiguous to her curiosity. As it was, her little nose simply couldn’t put the pieces together, and Blake sympathized with that confusion.

Blake sighed as she pressed a kiss to Ruby’s neck. She smelled heavenly, but there was something else, too. The very same something else that had put a cold stop to their make out session and frustrated the absolute hell out of both of them. Worst of all, Ruby’s shirt was still on the floor, and a pair of panties were the only thing that kept her from being completely naked under the covers.

It was enough to drive a Faunus mad, and Blake inwardly cursed herself for letting things get that far to begin with.

“Blake?”

“Hmm?” She asked lazily, trying not to sound nearly as turned on as she was. It wouldn’t help to put any more pressure on Ruby than the woman already put on herself.

“I’m not like other people.” Ruby told her. “You know that, right?”

Blake considered this before setting aflame the notion in her mind. “I have no proof of that.” She replied instead. Quite frankly, all of Ruby’s body language said no, but her scent was thick as any normal person. It seemed to say yes. Calling attention it itself in a way few other scents did. Arousal was funny like that. A pure bodily response to stimuli, and not something that could fully be controlled.

A thought came to Blake’s mind. One she didn’t want to consider, but it had managed to stay there anyway. “Ruby, does the idea of sex itself gross you out at all?” Blake had considered that might be the case. Sexual repulsion wasn’t exactly common among Faunus, but she wondered if it was different for humans. Asexuality seemed to be the term, but she had never personally met someone with such a distain for sexual encounters.

“I don’t know.” Ruby told her.

Perhaps it was simply because the act of mating took precedence over any dislike a Faunus might have on the subject. Marking mates by scent required the act, it was plain and simple. She had never met a Faunus who refused to mark things, it simply wasn’t in their nature. Humans didn’t require scent marking to make a claim, and she wondered if that might play a role in determining how making love was done.

“I don’t think about it enough to really care one way or the other about it.” Ruby went on to say, pulling Blake from her thoughts.

“But, it doesn’t sicken you, right?”

“Not really…” Ruby murmured. “I’m just broken that way.”

“I sincerely doubt that…”

“How do you know for sure, though?”

Blake groaned inwardly. Well, if she told Ruby the truth, it might as well be the entire truth. “Because my nose can tell that you’re a healthy and normal human female. If something was wrong with you, you wouldn’t smell the way you do. I’ve known you long enough to know that you have a regular cycle, and you don’t smell sickly or anything when you release pheromones into the air. If something was wrong enough to be a problem, my nose would certainly tell me that.”

“But what if I’m not?” Ruby asked her, rolling over to look Blake in the eyes. “What if I can’t be like you and Yang?”

“You’re obviously not like either of us.” Blake deadpanned softly. “Not all women have the same libido, and if yours is lower than mine, that’s not an issue.”

“It feels like it should be.”

“That’s the problem.” Blake told her. “That, right there, is what your problem is. You can’t force yourself to enjoy something that you don’t, and you can’t force yourself to be something that you aren’t. Your body is only your body. It’s not mine, and it can’t be like mine. Being a female Faunus comes with certain circumstances that you could never aspire to. A human never could.”

“But I know you want that…”

“Want what, exactly…”

“To have sex?”

“Honestly, Ruby? I don’t care about that so much. I can entertain myself in that way if I need to.” Blake told her. “I’d still be happy with you, even if we never had sex for our entire lives. Sex itself isn’t what I’m after. What pains me so much is that I can’t mark you. Marking a mate is a rather intimate thing, though. It might be considered sexual in nature, which is why I haven’t done it.”

“So? Just try it then…”

“Ruby… I…” Blake had no good retort for that. Either way, she wanted Ruby to like it. She had no idea if that would be the case or not, and the idea that Ruby wouldn’t was terrifying. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“You’ve never tried to before, right?”

“Well… No but-”

“Not buts.” Ruby interrupted. “I’m nervous, I won’t lie about that. I don’t know what I’m doing. All I know is that I care about you, and I don’t want you to suffer because of me. I can tell you keep holding back. As nervous as I am, I hate that more.” It scared her too. It made her more nervous than usual. She didn’t like thinking she could be hurting Blake. She hated wondering if Blake was truly alright with everything, or just sacrificing herself for the sake of their relationship. “I wouldn’t still be here if I didn’t want to be with you. If you feel like you have to mark me, then just do it. You have my permission, no matter what that means.”

Ruby couldn’t possibly have been any more blunt about the subject, not even if she had beaten Blake over the head with a sledge hammer.

Still, the mood had to be right. Right here, right now, seemed like the worst possible time. Blake swallowed hard, knowing that she still needed to be careful. “Tomorrow then.” She murmured, pressing a kiss to those pouty lips that were so addictive it boggled her mind. “I’ll mark you tomorrow.”


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: The scenes in this chapter are all new. I hope that it’s made more special by the journey these two have been on up until this point. 
> 
> Revisited chapter length: 4,895
> 
> “Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 34**

[In.] Ace mews unhappily.

“Come here Ace.” Blake calls from the living room.

[In!] Her tiny hands slapping against the bathroom door.

"I said come here." Blake tells her as the mewing continues. The sound isn’t uncommon, but Blake finds it curious anyway. She makes her way down the hall, noticing the annoyed look aimed at her. Red eyes glowering as her demand isn’t met instantly.

[Kin.] As mews again, as though the woman towering over her is somehow stupid. [In.]

"That's enough out of you." Blake said, scooping her up and places her on a hip. “Ruby, how long to stay in there?” Blake calls, tapping at the door with an upraised brow. She rarely locks the bathroom, mostly because none of them tend to do it. A single bathroom for four huntresses promised a lack of privacy on any given day. It became of force of habit to share the space, so long as someone wasn’t actually using the toilet.

“Until I’m ready to get out.” She calls ambiguously over the running water. The sound of the shaving gel squirting out of the can implying that she’s going out of her way to clean herself up.

Blake just chuckles to herself as she steps away from the door, taking Ace along with her. Ruby is the least stringent when it comes to body hair. It isn’t that she doesn’t maintain herself, but more than anything, it doesn’t bother her to have it. Weiss obsessively removes anything that could even be considered a hair on noticeable places, and Yang at least shaves up to the knee and under her arms at all times. Ruby spends more time away from the comforts of home by nature. No hot shower means no shaving, and no shaving means body hair. It's why she always covers herself completely when going into the wilds.

Idly, she can’t help but wonder if Ruby’s perhaps just a little worried about their promise for today. Blake could easily recall that her legs were certainly smooth the night before, and the same held true under Ruby’s arms. She’s always kept pubic hair, trimming it short and neat, but, it had always been there. Her ears flick curiously towards the bathroom, she can’t help but wonder if Ruby will remove that, too.

She wouldn’t be surprised if she did. Humans were a bit more finicky by nature, intimidated by body hair. Many considered it unhygienic, but Blake had no such worries. She kept herself in carefully groomed condition too, of course, but her views were nothing like a human in that regard. Quite the opposite, in fact. She found carefully groomed body hair attractive, as most Faunus did. Then again, she suspected that was simply part of her nature. Faunus of the feline variety, particularly males, often had copious amounts of hair adorning their large chest and arms. It was a sign of power and virility, two attractive traits for anyone seeking a male to mate. While other Faunus males had their own ways to display themselves, feline Faunus were always much larger than their female counterparts.

Blake set Ace down on the floor to play, her mind on the woman still in the bathroom. Many of the traits that Blake found attractive in women, were traits Ruby possessed. She was smaller than Blake in every dimension, and mostly mild mannered. Her cheery disposition accommodated most social environments, and her tender displays of affection were the simple sort. Nothing too extravagant, and more special for their sincerity.

From a purely primal perspective, Ruby fit the bill too. Her scent on her cycle wasn’t overwhelming. She was certainly fertile, able to carry a child if she wanted to. She would make a wonderful parent to any possible offspring. Her voice was pleasant to the ear, as her body was easy on the eyes. Her scent when aroused was a gentle aroma, it would make any claim that Blake made on her easier to accomplish, and likely to linger.

Privately, a small part of her wished that Ruby had been born a Faunus. A primal part, one that defied logic.

From a purely biological perspective, if Ruby had been born a Faunus, most males would have sought after her in a heartbeat. Matriarchs would have sought her for their sons. Patriarchs would have gone to great length, trying to prove themselves worthy and capable of extending the family. Parents would do this all for the chance that their child might have a successful mating. They would have gone out of their way please Ruby's parents, fingers gifting luxuries that Faunus normally didn't purchase to prove that Ruby would live a comfortable life if she chose a mate from the hopeful family. Lesbian couplings were far more infrequent, but Blake suspected the ladies who did have such an inclination, like herself, would be equally interested in Ruby Rose.

Considering Ruby’s temperament, if she were a Faunus, she likely would have had the inclination to be docile towards her mate. Eager to please, and instinctually driven to welcome her mate’s advances. She would likely be less prone to aggression, and less willing to get into territorial disputes. Even if she had been born a predator Faunus, she likely would have kept her claws clipped, and her teeth to herself. She would naturally commune together with others, seeing fit to communally raise the children of her kin.

In short, Ruby would have been the perfect mate for any cat Faunus and their social group. A most welcome addition, and one highly prized at that.

Something about that pleased Blake right down to her very core. She would never admit it, not even once, but she felt it deep in her bones. She couldn’t even explain why it gave her such a deeply seeded pleasure. If she were asked, she wouldn’t have been able to explain. Yet, the feeling remained, and she couldn’t help the purr that resonated in her chest.

Faunus or not, her instinct told her that Ruby was a very fitting mate indeed.

* * *

The mating needed to be flawless. If she was going to mark Ruby, she had to do it right.

It needed to be perfect, and that required time without Ace around to interrupt things. Blake felt a little guilty as she passed the little girl off to Nora. Ace thought nothing of it as she launched herself at the huntress. Nora meant all sorts of fun, plain and simple. She was one human who didn’t mind playing rough, and that was one of the few reasons Blake was willing to let the little girl out of her sight.

“Thanks for this.” Blake said, smiling mildly Nora allowed Ace to crawl onto her back and cling onto her. She never did seem to mind the sharp little claws and tiny teeth that frightened away most humans. If anything, Nora would take great joy in being the babysitter. She only hoped that Ren would be able to keep up with the two of them. “It really means a lot.”

“No problem.” Nora said, putting a hand behind her back to keep Ace from falling on her behind. “So are we keeping her all night, or just the day?”

Blake thought on this. The idea of having an entire night without the child to worry about was temping, but it was also a bad idea. “We’ll come get her before bedtime. I don’t think she’d go to sleep for anyone else.”

“She probably would if I tired her out enough.” Nora shrugged. The sound of a can opening called to the small Faunus on her back, and Ace jumped down to the carpeted floor and scampered towards the kitchen. “She must be hungry.”

“She always is, especially whenever she hears the can opener.” Blake said with a soft shake of her head. “Anyway, I wouldn’t want to torture Ren with her boundless energy. Cat Faunus are naturally nocturnal. If she gets off of her bed schedule even a little, it might mess it up for weeks. I don’t want to break the routine if I can help it.”

“Alright, well the offer is open.” Nora shrugged.

“Nora, breakfast is ready.” Ren called from the kitchen.

“Right, chow time. If anything comes up, I’ve got your number.” Nora said, eager to get to her own meal.

“I won’t keep you then.” Blake nodded. “Thanks again.”

Blake walked back to her own home with her hands in her pockets. There she could see Ruby cleaning up the main room from the window, and slowly climbed the steps to enter inside. “I’m back.”

“That was fast, I thought Ace might put up more of a fight.”

“Are you kidding? She saw Nora and couldn’t get out of my arms fast enough.” Blake laughed while she began to pick up some torn up bits of fluff on the floor. Another mangled sock meeting its untimely demise. “Sometimes I wonder what Nora lets her get away with whenever she’s watching her.”

“Well, she always comes back messy somehow, that’s for sure.” Ruby replied as she put the rest of the toys away. She sat down on the sofa, sighing as she sunk into the soft material. “Well, she’s gone for a bit. We have the house to ourselves…”

“Yeah.” Blake agreed nervously. “I suppose we do.” She promised she would mark Ruby, but she had no idea how to really go about that. Her last time marking a person that way was years ago, faded along with the memories of the man she had done it with. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t help feeling an edge of worry creeping into her thoughts. After throwing the sock away, she sat down beside Ruby.

That was all she did. Just sat there, letting the quiet fill her ears until it became too much.

She took a few small sniffs, trying to mask what she was doing as she searched for any sign that Ruby wouldn’t be receptive to her advances. She found none, but, she also noticed that Ruby smelled unusually clean too. Likely the aftermath of the long shower. Scent wouldn’t help her, not this time.

It was strange, she decided. Trying to set the mood on command wasn’t easy. Instead of it growing organically like it usually did, there was a weight in the air that felt unnatural. Blake adjusted herself where she sat. She knew they had to talk about it more carefully. “Ruby…” She began almost timidly. “If I start marking you as my mate, I’m going to want to do it all the time. Every time the scent fades, I’m going to want to put it back. You know that, right?”

“To be honest, Blake, I don’t.” Ruby said, turning a bit to look at the Faunus woman at her side. “I’ll never really know how that feels, will I?”

“Probably not.” Blake murmured softly.

“Then, I’ll just have to go along with it.”

“I am very prepared to make a few sacrifices in this relationship.” Blake told her, her amber eyes cutting across the room before meeting that earnest face she loved so much. “I knew going into this that there was always going to be some sort of divide between us that we just can’t bridge. It’s one of the reasons being with a human is almost taboo in some circles. If marking you is something you don’t want me to do, I need you to be honest about that.”

Ruby scowled gently at the remark, edging herself up from her sitting position to look at Blake curiously. A few more moments of scrutiny later, and she got up to straddle Blake’s lap. She took one of those catlike ears between her fingers. Her thumb stroking it softly. “Why can’t that go both ways?”

“It already has.” Blake told her. “More than you’ll ever know. You do so much for me already.”

“I don’t feel like that’s enough, though.” Ruby told her. “It’s like I’m not doing enough.”

“You are.”

“I’m always going to be nervous about… sex stuff…” Ruby trailed off. There was really no good way to get her thoughts out into the open. Being as blunt as she could seemed like the best way, but that didn’t make it easy. “And Faunus stuff, too, I guess. It’s not that I don’t want you to, but I don’t really have a clue what it’s like either, so…”

“Marking someone as a mate is… Well, it’s hard to describe.” Blake wondered what the nearest thing for a human would be. She couldn’t even begin to guess. “It’s intimate, obviously…”

“But it’s important, too, right?” Ruby asked her. “You’d probably be hurt if I said no.”

It wouldn’t feel very good to be denied the simple pleasure, but Blake didn’t want to voice that. She didn’t want to make Ruby feel forced, and the woman on her lap was a bleeding heart in more way than one. “It’s easier to never do it, than to do it once and never again. So much of my life is based around the unspoken details, and scent fills all of those little details in. For Faunus, it’s a way of life, even when we don’t want it to be.”

“Then you’re not sacrificing that, Blake.” Ruby said quietly, her voice a harsh whisper. “That’s not something you can just pretend isn’t there. It’s not like cutting some of the snack food out of the budget, or something stupid like that. It's not a luxury, Blake. It's part of you. I’m not going to take that away from you.”

“Ruby, I can cope without it if I must, I want you to know that.”

“Think about what you’re saying. Do you really want to do that to yourself, or to Ace?”

“She has nothing to do with this.”

“Oh, yeah?” Ruby asked seriously. “I’m in this for the long haul, and I don’t see a way around it. What happens when she grows up and finds out that even in this house, she’s not safe being who she really is? What would you even tell her? That she should sacrifice herself for the sake of a human? That you even do it yourself?”

“For the right human, and the right reasons…”

“That’s wrong on so many levels.” Ruby could only shake her head at that idea. She hated that it was even something to consider. “It’s just wrong.”

“I don’t want to hurt you…”

Ruby was at a loss and sighed, leaning in to kiss her when words seemed to fail. It was soft and gentle, like so many other kisses had been, and when Ruby pulled away she found herself downing in those amber pools. They looked human for now, something that probably wouldn’t last. “You won’t.” She found herself murmuring, even as her own anxiety started to creep up once more. “I know you won’t.”

“I’m going to end up doing the eye thing again.” Blake warns her. “And the purring thing… and a while other bunch of things that aren’t-” Another kiss blows that entire sentence to smithereens, and Blake’s thoughts along with it.

* * *

Blake takes it slow, painfully so. She has to.

With Ruby on her mind, and plenty of filthy thoughts rolling around in her head, it’s hard to keep herself from clawing Ruby’s clothes off right then and there. Despite that effort, Ruby’s shirt doesn’t survive. It’s someplace in the hallway, tattered and forgotten, buttons littering the floor that will need to be cleaned up before they bring Ace home. Ruby doesn’t have a bra on, and inwardly Blake is thankful. Otherwise, she likely would have shredded it, too.

They make it to the bedroom by willpower alone. Blake doubted Ruby would have appreciated being taken on the sofa, or the floor. Her kisses are soft when they hit the bed, the springs crying out under the weight of two bodies slamming into it.

Not that Blake rightly cares. Ruby’s neck is on display, and that is nothing if not erotic.

She swallows down the lump in her throat. Feeling her eyes shift, even as she tries to command them not to.

Her fingers itch painfully, wanting to feel that supple expanse of skin that’s exposed to her. She doesn’t dare to show her claws, doesn’t risk hurting the girl beneath her as the she slowly allows her fingers to slide across Ruby’s breast. Her free hand cupping the girl’s cheek as she leans into for another kiss. Gentle touches, tender the way it should be.

The way Ruby needs it to be.

“You’re still dressed.” Ruby says against Blake’s lips when she pulls away just a fraction.

This is a truth that Blake knows all too well. The fabric is driving her crazy, and she sits up far enough to pull the shirt over her head and toss it to a far corner to be forgotten about entirely. With heavy breath, she knows her eyes have changed. She knows it, because she can feel that too. She can see it in Ruby’s gaze, gunmetal looking at her inquisitively. As if studying what her next move might be.

She isn’t predictable like this, the realization coming after a moment to catch her breath. She unclips her bra, casting it aside too, before returning to Kiss Ruby once more. The connection is what Ruby needs most. The feel of her lover’s lips upon her own, and the wordless promise that the Faunus looming over her has not changed, not truly. Not into the beast that she might look like.

Blake sinks herself into the kiss, let’s herself enjoy that because everything else rolling around her mind is a storm of desire that hasn’t been properly quenched in ages. The last time she could truly recall such a moment was when she was beneath Adam, her trust in him was all that she knew. It was a younger time, when she mistook true love for chasing chemicals. When that high was all she knew, because love was not a fully formed concept in her young mind, and desire was the selfsame as lust.

This, Blake realizes, is not the same.

Her need to touch Ruby, the need that such a thought conjures is not that of sexual congress, or wonton mindlessness that comes from the passing seasons. This, Blake realizes as she maps out the contours of every single blemish, scar, and subtle imperfection, is something much greater. When Ruby lifts her hands to pull her closer, there is a sense of feeling complete. Something not won over by achieving an orgasm, but rather, achieving the one thing she craved most of all.

Ruby Rose as her mate.

A woman’s slick arousal is a tenuous thing. Gifted because the body itself asks for satiation beyond measure. Each soft moan a response, a calling all of its own. One that the mind itself often doesn’t understand. Fractured haze following the release of biological impulse, rationality dying a slow death beneath instinct. Drifting into that state of mind, is to some degree, a measure of trust. Blake knows that with every ounce of her being, and when there nothing more than skin between them, she realizes anew that the divide between them will never lessen in the slightest.

Human and Faunus, two entirely separate beings, building a life together by choice is not for the faint of heart.

For Ruby it is all new. Every move Blake makes is completely intentional. Not an ounce of effort wasted where she does not want it. Ruby’s fingers, her reciprocation is not the same. She has to wonder as her fingers touch along Blake’s skin, just what she can possibly leave behind. What etchings can be written into the woman’s skin, if any? How long could it possibly last, if at all? Neither of those considerations are a comfort when Blake is both more experience, and driven to want to be claimed in return.

What of herself, if anything, could Ruby possibly return? What would a passing Faunus notice? What would Blake?

She has no idea, but as Blake touches every inch of her, there is only one thing this could be. Only one name for the act comes to mind. They are making love, forging their emotional bond in a way that is so completely different, yet utterly the same.

Beyond that, there is clarity. A floating expanse of timid realizations popping like bubbles upon gratification.

She had never once experienced an orgasm, freighting to the senses for as uncontrollable as it is. She had never once felt that before. Never needed to truly attain it, and in some small way, never wanted to. On her own, there was no point. Prior to Blake, there was no reason.

Laying on the bedsheets now, wetness coating Blake’s lips, and knowing exactly where those lips had kissed her in an entirely new way made Ruby’s head spin. She smelled like sex, plain and simple. Their sheets smelled of sweat and arousal. Ruby couldn’t put her finger on why that seemed so strange given what had just happened. Something about that begged her to kick that sheet off the bed just to be rid of the damp patch that she had made in her coupling with Blake.

The Faunus said nothing as she crossed over to the other side of the bed, an offering for Ruby to curl into her and find her breath and her feelings from beyond the murkiness of what many called bliss.

They didn’t move from the bed for hours. Rolling one way, then another. Holding each other, and letting go. Conversation flowing sporadically, sweet little nothings, and plenty of small oddities. There were times when Blake tucked her nose into the nape of Ruby’s neck and took a deep breath. As if she were inhaling the woman the same way a smoker did a cigarette. The slow exhale following was one of peace.

Yet Ruby had to wonder. Compelled beyond belief. “What do I smell like?” Her voice was soft against the air.

“In a word…” Blake murmured, her voice equally as quiet so as to not disrupt the serenity she didn’t think she would ever find. “You smell like us.” It was the easiest way to explain.

A combination of sexual pheromone that lessened slowly into something that mingled the both of them. That scent fortified by hygiene products, laundry detergent, and other materials of daily living. Proof of their life together in the same house, the same bed, and the same physical release.

A human’s nose would never interpret that.

Humans laid claim another way. A different way. Marital vows and an exchange of rings were their way to prove that they were taken. A mutual choice announced proudly, just like mates who mutually marked. A wedding band was the human symbol, something a Faunus generally had no desire for. Changing a last name legally wasn’t impossible, and mates would take a family name that way if kingdom legalities required it.

Still, she couldn’t deny in that moment, she wished she had a simple band upon her hand. A token that demanded to be heeded by all humans. A statement that the person wearing it already had a spouse, their generic word for a mate. To Blake, the human terminology didn’t matter.

Instead, she wondered if that applied to Ruby. She wondered if the woman beside her even made that logical connection. Even if she did, would she even want to? Marriages were legally binding in a way that mating simply wasn’t. It was a question for another day, and one that Blake didn’t think it right to ask for.

Privately, though, it was nice to dream about.


	35. Chapter 35

**Significant Changes: A few added moments to scenes. **

**Revisited chapter length: 4,670**

**“Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]**

**Chapter 35**

  
As she suspected, no human would notice. Nora had her obvious suspicions when Blake picked Ace up from her willing babysitter, but the woman didn’t say anything uncouth either.

Ace knew almost instantly, her tiny nose affixing itself to Ruby almost as soon as she hit the door. It was a strong, commanding, scent. One that demanded other Faunus to take notice of, because the first few couplings were very important. Ace knew the moment she smelled Ruby that she belonged to Blake, and the little Faunus began kneading upon Ruby’s shoulder when her own scent had mysteriously gotten misplaced.

“Ace…” Ruby complained, holding the little girl at arm’s length.

[Mine.] She mewed quite unhappily, little fingers reaching out to reclaim her keeper. She mewled again in protest when the human didn't seem to understand, pouting unhappily as she tried to squirm closer.

"What's gotten into you?" Ruby rolled her eyes, sighing as she put Ace on her hip, the young girl more than happy to continued clawing at Ruby’s clothes in an attempt to replace what had been gone. a purr started up as Ace continued her mission. Blake’s eyes glinted humorously, taking no small amusement in the sight before her. “Come on, Blake. It’s not funny.”

“It really is.” Blake said earnestly, licking her lips to keep from smirking as Ace plucked curiously at the fabric.

“This isn’t going to keep happening, is it?” Ruby wondered, setting Ace on the floor, even though the child had not yet completed her desired task. The girl chasing after her as Ruby padded into the kitchen.

“Well, maybe for today.” Blake said following after, hiding another small giggle when she caught sight of Ace trying to climb up the woman to keep marking her clothing. She picked Ace up, holding the girl away. [Mine now.] Blake vocalized placidly with a small chirrup.

[No.] Ace growled quietly, purely discontented at that idea. Her eyes flicked over to Ruby. [Mine.]

Blake raised a brow. Of course Ace would put up that fight, but not for long. [You. Mine.] Blake told the girl with another small set of vocalizations. To keep the girl from marking after Ruby, Blake would need to lay a proper familial claim on the girl too. Something that would bind them together as more than an extended social group. Her fingers slid across the girl’s neck, leaving behind Blake’s signature calling card. Ace preened at the touch, her own happy purring starting up.

Their actions gathered more than one confused glance to the woman preparing a sippy cup.

“You can ask…” Blake said, dodging a flailing hand as Ace tried to mirror the action the way all toddlers exuberantly tried to mimic their older kinfolk.

“I’m afraid I don’t want to know.” Ruby told her, watching the two Faunus making odd noises at each other, quite unlike ones she had ever heard.

“We’re marking each other.” Blake said, grabbing a small hand that pawed at her face. “Well, I’m marking Ace, she’s… trying to return the gesture…”

“Right…” Ruby said, placing the juice back in the refrigerator, Ace’s cup in hand.

“You don’t want her to try marking you all over, right?”

“Not really, no…”

“Then I need to change the way I normally choose to mark her.” Blake said to Ruby. “We’re closer now, you and me. We’ve taken a step that solidified our bond, but Ace isn’t related by blood to either of us. The bond excludes her by scent. If she were related to one of us by blood, we wouldn’t have this issue. You’d smell like each other no matter what. Now that I’ve claimed you though, Ace is worried that you’re not hers anymore. She’s trying to take you back, so I’m claiming her instead.”

“I wish I had known that little detail…”

“It’s not really an issue, Ruby. I didn’t want you to make it into one.” Blake looked down at the girl. “Little kids claim anything that moves, but I’ve never actually overridden her scent before, and she’s too little to overpower mine and put it back.” The little Faunus accidentally smacked Blake’s chin again, and the older Faunus sighed. “And too inexperienced in marking to know how. She’s just a little one, she doesn’t understand that emotionally your bond won’t change.”

“Want a second…” Ruby said. “When you say you’ve claimed her, what do you mean by yours?”

“It’s not a complicated concept to a Faunus. You’re mine now, and she’s mine now.” Blake said. “You’re not just kin anymore, you’re mine. It’s that simple.”

* * *

Well, it was that simple, and that complicated, Blake soon found out.

When she marked Ace, it came with a certain insinuation to other adult Faunus. Marking kinfolk was one thing, but the scent she gave Ace was different now. A very particular scent, one that was passed down from caregiver to child to take them as their own. It was a smell that in no uncertain terms said ‘this child is mine’ and was inherent to female Faunus by nature.

The scent of a young matriarch claiming her family line. A scent that could not be overridden, because to do that would be taboo. Only chosen mates could take the scent of a matriarch or patriarch off of the neck of any Faunus. To remove that scent without invitation was the worst offense. The heads of families marked everyone over their care with this unifying smell. That of a generational family, continuing the lines.

Blake had known it needed to happen to keep harmony in the house, but she didn’t think Ace would connect the dots so quickly. It only took a single day for the Ace apply that scent to Faunus speech, finding the vocalization almost instinctually.

[Mom.]

Blake stood at the sink, washcloth plopping down with a wet slap against the dinner plates. She looked down to the little girl between her legs, clawing at her jeans. She had to be hearing things. It was just a noise that sounded like a word, that's what it had to be, nothing more, nothing less. Digging through the suds, she went back to dealing with the dishes.

[Mom.]

It wasn't an accident. She looked down again. "No."

[Kin. Mom.] Ace flattened her ears back, growling. [Mine.]

Blake sighed, ears pressed flat against her head in kind, a deep growl issuing from her throat. She didn't quite know how to make Ace understand. "I'm not, Ace. No." She watched as those deep red eyes gazed at her, head cocking to the side in confusion before a frown worked its way onto her features.

[…Mom...]

[No.] Blake growled softly. The elder Faunus could only sigh as the little girl looked up at her curiously. Letting loose a string of sounds that were entirely inhuman. She hoped Ace might better understand, but at the end of it all, she was met with a purring little Faunus still continued to think of her as a parent.

[Mom.]

The entire issue was something she expected, but it was every bit as dreaded as a flock of Grimm. Blake walked over to the attic door, yanking it down and disappearing for a few moments before coming back with a box. She opened it, pulling out the sword and sheath, setting it down on the coffee table. It still smelled like Raven, the hints of her existence lingering faintly among the metal and dust on the inside. It smelled strongest at the hilt, the fabric there seemingly handled often by the human woman.

Ace was a curious little girl, and took to the new object on the table with a mix of interest and trepidation.

"This is your mom, Ace." Blake said softly, knowing the familiarity among shared blood was a strong thing.

[Kin?] The girl mewled at the object, more than a little confused.

[Mom.] Blake mewed softly, her body language indicating the sword on the table. [Yours.]

Raven, Qrow, Yang, and ultimately Ace, shared the scent of family. A low whine worked up from the little girl, and with flattened back ears, she scrambled behind Blake. Shushing her wasn't an easy thing, as she introduced the small child to the smell of the human woman who birthed her.

In truth, Blake had no clue if Ace could really comprehend the magnitude of that scent. If it was something that had been locked away deeply in the memories of a newborn, or if the scent had been forgotten entirely. Overridden by experiences and other kinds of memories. Scent was a strong thing, after all. So deeply considered and often at the expense of so much.

Blake couldn’t help but sniff the air herself, searching for the bond between parent and child.

So little of it was left now, and, what remained might be nothing more than am faded relic of lost time. Ace was correct in her confusion. There was a smell of a woman who would never be there, distinct, and so impossibly distant. So much like Yang’s own, and yet, completely unlike it too. So much like Ace, too, that the girl had to notice that at least faintly.

She wondered if Ace could fathom that. If, by instinct, she could truly recognize it.

Then again, it was pointless either way. The woman was gone now.

[Mom.] Ace cried out as she clawed at Blake’s shirt distressed.

Blake could only pick her up, cradling the unhappy little girl as a rather dark thought crossed her mind. A mother… Her mother… In a way, Blake knew she might as well have been. To her young mind, inexperienced as she was, Ace had already made her decision. Rejecting both the scent and the object.

Blake was probably the only mother that she would ever know.

* * *

Life inside of the RWBY household was as tense as ever, but this time, it wasn't Yang simmering on a low boil. It was Blake, usually the most unperturbed of the bunch.

Yang didn't want to believe that her father was spending all of his spare time drinking himself into oblivion, but she knew her uncle wouldn't lie about something like that. Blake certainly would not have passed along the information unless she herself had verified that it was true. She had checked in on him, and she hadn’t liked what she found.

It was obvious by Blake's ranting that she was less than impressed. Yang understood Blake’s annoyance, but she also knew that getting upset wouldn’t help. She knew this song and dance, having experienced it too many times in her childhood to be moved by it now. Blake had never truly needed to face down alcoholism, or the many problems that came along with.

Qrow was never a constant presence after they grew into teenagers, and as adults his visits had lessened even more. Blake had never truly connected with that man, and never needed a reason to. When it came to Taiyang, Blake had only heard the stories. She had never seen it first hand, and confronting the matter only made everything harder for the Faunus to swallow.

"So, what the hell's his problem then?" Yang asked somewhat annoyed that the newest addition in the family was being pointedly avoided. "It's not like I asked him to raise her."

"No, Yang, you didn't." Blake felt conflicted. "He put all of his eggs in one basket, and it blew up in his face. Instead of realizing that nothing's really changed, he's just wallowing in his booze."

“There’s got to be a way to help him.” Yang said thoughtfully.

Blake wanted the best for everyone, but Tai was just a satellite concern of hers. It might have been a terrible way to think. She didn't defend the cold stance on the subject, but, she didn't change her outlook to sympathize, either.

"He’s a worthless fool, that’s what he is...."

"He's my dad, Blake."

"Yours? Yeah…" Blake said then. "But he's not Ace's, and frankly, I think I have a right to be a little pissed off that he won't even pull himself together for your sake. What about Ruby? You know she's going to take it personally if this keeps up. She'll blame herself, and right now, I don't think she can handle that very well."

"Dad's never been perfect. Always toed the line. Ruby doesn't talk about it, but she knows he has a hard time with it. Thing is, if what you say is true, there's no one to really blame. He fell apart, and that happens sometimes." Yang said. "That's what drunks do when they fall off the wagon. They drink. Sobering up again isn't the easiest thing in the world. You can't just flip a switch."

"He was more or less clean for years, Yang. He waited for Raven for years…all for nothing." Blake slammed her glass on the table with a little more force than she had been expecting, sending her hot tea sloshing over her fingers. "Don't you understand? He spent years of his life waiting for her, and for no good reason. Now, instead of choosing a different path, he's still just sitting there, and he's still just waiting. God only knows what in the hell he's waiting for this time."

"Anyone's guess." Yang looked down at the steaming liquid. Blake was used to intense heat, being burned in and of itself something she had gotten used to because Yang could become a literal walking ball of fire. Still, the reddening flesh should be tended to, and Yang grabbed Blake's hand and dabbed it with a dry napkin. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't know what he's thinking, either."

"He better think about pulling his head out of his ass…"

"Blake, listen, I'm happy that you're so fired up for Ruby's sake. It means you don't like my dad being selfish any more than I do." Yang began, her thumb trailing over the burns that were already almost healed. Aura was a powerful thing. "You really care about her, and you care about Ace. That makes me happy, it really does.”

“This goes deeper than that.” Blake shot back. “What man emotionally abandons his children?”

“We’re not kids.”

“It doesn’t matter the age!” Blake shouted at her. “You never do that! Never! He raised you.”

“Okay, but, being angry doesn't help anyone. It really only ends up tormenting yourself.” Yang murmured, shaking her head sadly. “Ruby and I learned that a long time ago. You can be angry at an addict all you want, but that won't solve the actual problem. If what you say is true, he’s basically self-medicating, and he’s hurting. Getting mad at him would only make it worse."

"You're his daughter…" Blake said leaning forward, hunched over in her seat, her eyes watching the roaring fire keeping the home warm. "Don't you think you should say something to him?"

"The urge to drink, I get it from both ends." Yang said. "If I can put it down, so can he.”

“But he hasn’t…”

“And he might not for a while…” Yang told her. “That’s how it is.”

“For you too?” Blake asked eyes narrowing.

“Well, not like him, but… I guess.” Yang sighed then. “I used to get drunk because it was fun to do. I’m not going to lie to you, though. There are a lot of things that keep me up at night. It's easier to toss back a few to get that warm feeling in your gut. It does quiet the doubts. Well, for a short while anyway, they always come back. So you end up drinking, more. It’s a spiral, Blake, and just because I know when to put the junk down doesn’t mean that everyone can…”

“Then he shouldn’t be picking it up in the first place.” Blake retorted hotly.

“You’re right about that.” Yang told her. “It's never the right answer, but, when you don't have any answers at all… Well, I don’t know… I guess in some assbackwards way, drinking makes sense. I may have better control over it than they do, but that’s just because I know the shit that happens when you don’t. That’s why when Ace came, I majorly cut back. I don’t want her seeing me that way, and that’s what keeps one beer from turning into two or three."

Blake nodded at this, her voice gentle as she asked her next question. "What do you have doubts about?"

"Oh, a lot of things." Yang shrugged. "It's always been that way. I just end up figuring that I should just live the life I have. You'll always have an unanswered question or two. So, I try not to fixate on at, and go about my day. "

"Right…"

"Listen, I'd be lying if I said none of those questions could be aimed at you. I mean, you're a pretty big part of my life, Blake, and I value that. It's just that I've been on the other side of the coin, too. I know commitment isn't your strongest suit." Yang leaned back in her chair then, wincing as it creaked in protest. "But, Ruby's my sister. That's all she's ever been, so it's not like I’m going to sit you down and give you the shotgun talk like some lunatic. It's not my place."

"Yet, you do have questions…" Blake finished.

"I won't ask them, though." Yang told her. "As long as you're good to her, that's all that matters. Eventually, all good things come to an end. I think life's going to get a lot harder before it gets easier. It's when the bad stuff comes around that I worry, and that's where most of my questions come from. A lot of 'what if', a lot of fear, past things I don't want repeated in her life, or mine…and then, there's Ace to think about. The more she sticks around, the more I think that we have way more on our hands than we realize."

"We knew this wouldn't be easy." Blake had thought the worst when she had first seen Ace. Looking back, it was hard not to imagine the little girl around, but that didn't ease Blake's analytical mind any less. "I have to believe that raising her won't be too hard as time goes on, either...everything will be fine, mostly because it has to be."

"But, you don't really believe that, do you?"

Blake shook her head. "No, not always. Sometimes, I don't."

She told Ruby that there was no way they could raise a child. In some ways, Blake still doubted they could. The cynical part of her mind promised her that somehow, they were going to screw this up. Blake had never said it, but, it was what she thought of in the back of her mind. Blake was sure, on some level, Yang could see those doubts clearly. Blake bet Yang even shared some of them.

"So, what are you going to do about your dad?" Blake asked then. "Or, rather, I guess the question is, what do you want to do?"

"I want to kick him in the head and knock some damn sense into him." Yang bit out. "Since that's not going to work, I'll settle for sitting here and waiting for him to realize life's going on ahead of him whether he likes it or not."

"He might not ever pull himself out of it." Blake warned. "Are you going to be okay with that?"

"Honestly? Ace is my family." Yang shook her head. "I'd be really pissed if he never came around, never took the time to be part of her life. It's his right if he doesn't want anything to do with her…can't say it wouldn't hurt though, raise more questions, things like that."

"What kind of questions?"

Yang only shrugged. "The shitty kind that you really don't want to hear, and I really don't want to say."

* * *

Weiss cursed to herself.

On her budget, she didn't keep the kind of clothing that she used to. Everything came from the outlet mall, and that meant that she had to try twice as hard to look immaculate. Impossibly priced dressed were no longer part of her spending. She couldn't even buy something nice from the high end dress shops around Vale that mass produced finer articles of clothing. Weiss had learned to love rummaging around in sale bins for a new shirt or two. The occasional skirt off the rack was acceptable, provided it was on sale. However her days of mindless purchasing were over.

She couldn't justify the expenses, but neither could she accept looking so plain for an outing with someone she might be interested in.

And Pyrrha had well and truly wanted to spend time together outside of their homes. She even called it a date, which did nothing more than scare Weiss, but with every ounce of hesitance possible, she accepted. Weiss had no idea what commoner's date consisted of, but she knew Pyrrha would keep it simple. The redheaded woman learned to hate extravagance, and Weiss perfectly understood the sentiment.

Still, a night on the town demanded more than her current wardrobe offered. It demanded more confidence than she had.

"You know, you can pick anything. It'll probably just end up on the floor anyway." The blonde woman teased.

"Yang! Of all the conclusions to jump to. Pyrrha's not like that, she would never encourage something so…so…vile!"

"Love making is vile now? Never got the memo, so good to know." Yang grumbled as she played with her little sister, stacking blocks one on top of the other. "Honestly though, would it really be so bad to share something like that with her? Or even just admit you'd want something like that down the line? It's not like I don't already know you've got a thing going on with her."

"For your information, we do not have a _thing_." Weiss replied haughtily. "We're merely very good friends."

"You sure Pyrrha knows that?" Yang shot back effortlessly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Weiss, cut the bullshit." Yang sighed at length. "If you hadn't taken the same combat classes I did, I would honestly think you've never once seen a dick in your entire life."

"Language! Your little sister is sitting right there, for goodness sake. If you keep spouting that kind of filth, one day she'll start parroting you." Weiss protested, praying she could push aside the entire conversation. "If you must be crass, say bull-dung and penis like the rest of the world."

"One, who the hell says 'bull dung'. Two, I don't care what you call it, they repulse the crap out of you." Yang said with a roll of her eyes. "Three, I'm not going to soften my speech just because I have a baby sister. Besides, that's not the point, and you can't derail me from this. I know you're a lesbian, I think everyone else does too. It's not that hard to figure out, but, even assuming that it was, Pyrrha cares about you."

"I care about her too." Weiss said. "She's a very dear friend."

Yang groaned, smacking her own face in annoyance. "And people say I'm the airhead…" She blew out a hot breath as Ace charged into the stack of blocks, sending them scattering across the room. Then she ran behind the dresser, waiting for Yang to build it back up again. Reaching out to grab a few of the blocks again, Yang cast her friend a meaningful glance. "Weiss, do you really mean it? That you care about her, I mean?"

"Of course I do." The white haired woman said. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Then own up to that." Yang murmured. "If you mean it, show her how you feel. It took Pyrrha a long time to come to terms with everything. I know you're used to taking your dear sweet time with everything you do, but the longer you wait, the more you stand to really hurt her."

"I have no intention of hurting her."

"Doesn't mean you won't."

"It also not a guarantee that I will."

"It's going to get you hurt too." Yang reminded her. "I don't want to see that happen."

"Why not?" Weiss asked darkly. "I deserve it, don't it?"

"God, I hate when you make me do this." Yang shoved herself up from the floor, making her way across the room as she used her strength to turn Weiss to face her, demanding to be seen. "I'm waiting…you know what I want to hear."

"You'll be waiting for a long time then." Weiss said, looking down at the floor, finding it all the more interesting.

"Don't push me out. You know I won't let you, so let's not go there." Yang said, slowly backing her friend into the wall, the soft thump, indicating the gentle impact. "I've got you, okay? You're safe. Just say it."

"But-"

"Nope. You're fine, Weiss." Yang interrupted. "You're good. We've got your back. Always have, always will. You'll be okay."

Weiss tried to look away, but Yang wouldn't let her, getting right in the shorter woman's face. There was a wetness in blue eyes. Weiss began to shake.

"Hey…hey…Weiss, chill." She coaxed, but Weiss had none of it, so Yang gently slapped at her jaw, the rough handing getting the attention she wanted. "Chill. That bad place in your past? Don't go there." Yang said again softly, finally able to meet icy blue eyes without the woman recoiling. "Don't fight me. You can do this…"

"No…I can't."

"You've got to." Yang said. Weiss looked away again, earning another soft smack. "Nu-un. No, you're not allowed to do that. Eyes on me. You keep them on me. You stay in the here and now. You know what I want to hear…so just say it."

She knew what Yang wanted to hear…and frankly what she needed to just come to terms with. For Weiss, it was impossible to do without shattering like glass. Yang knew that, it was what she was expecting, but Weiss didn't want to break anymore. She was tired of breaking down her walls. There was only so much she could do on her own. If that made her a coward, then it only proved her point.

She didn't deserve to be happy, not after everything she turned her back on.

She looked away again as if seeing some terrible monster waving at her from the void. Once again, Yang gently smacked her for it. Blue eyes met lilac again. "Yang...I can't."

"You can. You just have to get used to saying it, Weiss." Yang told her, adjusting the woman's face yet again, trying her best to keep Weiss grounded in the moment. "You just have to say it once without having a breakdown, and then…the other times…I swear, it'll get easier."

Yet, have a breakdown she did as tears finally fell from her eyes. "I'm irredeemably gay! Are you happy now?!" Weiss sobbed, hating herself all the more as Yang rolled her eyes.

Sighing, Yang defaulted to pulling Weiss tightly against her. Letting the shorter woman silence her sobs in the fabric of her shirt. "Without the breakdown would have been nice." Yang told her dryly, wrapping her arms around Weiss all the same. "You're still good. The world didn't end. It's not going to."

Weiss shook her head wordlessly as if to argue, but Yang held her more securely.

"Yeah, you are. You're fine." Yang told her firmly, not taking any denials for an answer. "I just wish you'd start believing that..."


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Significant Changes: Added scenes and a bit of extra content to older ones.  
Revisited chapter length: 4,158  
“Regular dialogue” [Faunus speech only]

**Chapter 36**

Yang sighed as she carried her little sister on her hip, heading to the kitchen to get her a small snack bar. She set her down on the floor in front of the television before turning on a children’s show. Seeking out her other household companions, Yang found them right where she expected she would, in their room packing for a short camping trip.

“Blake, I could use your help across the hall.” Yang said as she leaned heavily on the doorframe of Blake and Ruby’s room. “Weiss is acting like a Schnee again.”

“What?” Blake asked leaving her camping supplies on the floor forgotten, several changes of children’s socks sitting at her side along with two pairs of pajamas and a few outfits just in case Ace continued to get dirty out in the wilds. “Why?”

“You _know_ why.” Yang said, leaning heavily on the door frame. “I got through to her a little, I think, but we both know that won’t last if she gets stuck in her own head for too long.”

“I thought things were going well…” Blake said, ears flattening down on her head unhappily. “She hasn’t had a breakdown in...” Blake trailed off biting her lip. “I honestly can’t recall the last time it happened.”

“It’s been a long time. A few years ago was the last time it really got bad.” Ruby told them, still folding her own pajamas before placing them away and looking up at Yang. “Unless things have been going on that she hasn’t told me.”

“No, in thinking about it, that sounds right…” Yang told her sister. “It probably has been about that long.”

“I was hoping she was better now.” Ruby said softly, hands turning into fists in her lap as her thumbs ran along her knuckles thoughtfully. When that failed to be a comfort Ruby visibly deflated, her shoulders sagging. “I thought she was over all of that stuff…”

“Technically, she is better. A whole lot better.” Blake said, reaching it to push some of Ruby’s hair behind her ear in an attempt to soothe the worry in her eyes. “But, you need to remember, Weiss spent a lot of time in a really unhealthy environment. The things she’s grown up with don’t just leave because she wants them to. If it were that easy, no one would ever have any emotional baggage. She's just more susceptible to hers than we are to ours.”

“I mean, up until now, she hasn’t had anything really spark any of her old anxieties. For her it’s all been out of sight out of mind.” Yang said, her nail absently running along the chipping paint on the wall. “But, she’s got this thing going on with Pyrrha now, and everything is kind of flooding back, I guess.”

“Should we call Winter?” Blake wondered, half tempted to reach for her scroll right then and there. “I know they don’t talk much, but she’s always been there when we need her to be.”

“That’s why they don’t talk as much as they should…” Yang said thoughtfully. “Winter’s busy, and if we call her she’s going to drop everything and fly out here like she always does. I don’t want to make Weiss feel guilty. Besides, it’s not that bad. Not that I want it to get to that point, but I don’t think it will if we can nip it in the ass now.”

“I’ll finish up packing.” Ruby said as she finally unearthed the cooking skillet they took on camping trips. “You should go talk to her, Blake. You’re the only one she really listens to…”

“Alright.” Blake said, getting up and stretching at length. “Hopefully this won’t take too long.”

* * *

Blake’s words were similar to Yang’s. She tried to offer comfort, but the damage of the Schnee family had already been done. Weiss was unlike her older sister. Winter had found peace with her personal demons, Weiss hadn’t yet. Then again, Weiss had endured her father’s malice for a longer stretch of time. She had been cast out from the family, while Winter chose to distance herself of her own volition. The two siblings were vastly different in that regard. Ultimately, it made things harder for Weiss in the long run.

She and tried to toe a line too many times. Holding her own choices above that of her father’s whims. She had defied him over and over again, until he realized she would never be his puppet, and cast her aside like a broken object that couldn’t be repaired. Deep down, Weiss had always known the risks of her decisions, and the weight of them. Her father had dangled her dreams on a stick, taunting Weiss for years with the things she wanted most. He did it for control, until even that thin thread snapped and fell away entirely.

Weiss had never completely forgiven herself for letting the company fall from her hands. She had never gotten over the fact that she had been removed from the things that had given her so much power and respect. As used to a commoner’s life as she was, it wasn’t the way Weiss had planned her life to go, and that was a letdown.

Blake did her best, but, she knew that alone would never be enough to make up for years of treatment that was nothing sort of abuse. Harsh words, backhanded compliments, and physically slapping her when Weiss didn’t see his logic for what it was. Her defiance had cost her, but, she wasn’t the only one to pay the price, and Blake knew that Weiss blamed herself for that selfishness.

At the end of the day, Blake knew that team RWBY and the echoes of that identity, wouldn’t ever be enough for Weiss. She needed to be more than that. It was a desire so deep that even Weiss herself couldn’t fathom its magnitude. In truth, Blake was sure that a small part of Weiss didn’t want to.

It was a feeling that Blake knew all too well. Thinking on it, even slightly, brought a whole lot of guilty feelings to the surface. After all, she had turned her back on her own cause too. Choosing a life among humans, despite the atrocities that continued outside of the safe bubble she had built for herself.

But, she had a new calling now. One of instinct to help guide her, when logic itself proved painful. That was why she readily grabbed her backpack and exited the home a few hours later. With Ace and Ruby at her side, the three of them headed out into the forests to enjoy the life that they were beginning to carve for themselves. The little moments all the more significant for the sake of that future.

Yang stayed behind and waited until Pyrrha came to the door late that evening. The redhead was ready to take Weiss on her date, but it was Yang who opened the door. "Hey, Pyr." Yang smirked, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Weiss is in our room."

"Oh, is she still getting ready?" Pyrrha asked, but then Yang shook her head.

"Afraid not." Yang grabbed her jacket throwing it over her shoulders. "It's probably better if you and Weiss stay here. There was an episode earlier, and I don't think she's really in the right mindset for an outing.”

“Oh…” Pyrrha sighed at length. “Does she want to cancel?”

“No, it’s not that.” Yang said quietly. “More like, she doesn’t know what to really do…”

“About me, or…” Pyrrha trailed off, unsure what else to ask. Unable to fathom what she could even say to make it all better.

Yang wasn’t entirely sure what Weiss wanted, but she knew that being alone wasn’t it. “Honestly, it’s about a whole lot of garbage. Look, Weiss has a lot of self-hatred going on. She never thought she should be allowed to be happy, and now, there’s someone else telling her she can be besides just us. The fact you really care about her blows her mind.” As Yang said that, something clicked. She nodded more to herself than to Pyrrha. Sliding a hand into her pocket, she smirked a little. “She knows you really care, and she can’t just cram a reason onto a box for why that is. The people who should have given a shit about her never did, and the rest of us fit into some easy category. Winter’s her sister. We’re her teammates… She can’t just fit you into a logical little box like that, and honestly that freaks the crap out of her.”

“I didn’t realize…”

“It’s a good thing, but she’s not used to it.” Yang laughed softly, finding it easy to find the good qualities in the problem when Pyrrha stayed. She could have turned around and walked away disheartened, but she hadn’t. “Weiss is always going to be slow on the uptake of this kind of thing. Personally, I think what she really needs right now is some take out and a quite night inside. That's fine though. You guys have the house to yourselves.”

“Wait, Yang, you don’t have to do that.” Pyrrha said, cringing when Yang picked up her backpack. “It would be wrong of me to ask you to leave. This is your home.”

“I’ve got my own plans. Family bonding and all of that, I’m sure you get it.” The blonde laughed. “Ruby and I are going to take Ace on a little camping trip, and Blake decided to come along. They've already gone on ahead, so I should catch up." Patting Pyrrha on the shoulder as if to fortify her. “Don’t sweat it. Just stay… I think that’s all Weiss really wants.”

Yang headed out, closing the door behind her.

It wasn't the first time she had been left alone in this household, having acted as an emergency babysitter for Ace in the past. It was strange stepping through the house when it was so eerily silent though. She made her way to the room Weiss stayed in with Yang. The woman sat on her bed, looking lost and forlorn as she looked up to see Pyrrha standing there.

"I realized, I don't have anything nice to wear." It was a weak attempt at a joke, and perhaps a partial excuse, but it all fell to pieces as she said it.

"You could have worn a burlap sack, and I would still think you to be entirely beautiful." Pyrrha said, and she completely meant it too. That's what made seeing Weiss so upset, so unbearably difficult. Even like this, she was beautiful, impossible as it was. She took a few steps forward, tentatively sitting beside Weiss. Trying her best to figure out what Weiss might be comfortable with.

With nothing to go on, she settled with taking the woman's hands in her own.

Pyrrha wanted to do more, but it was hard to justify doing that when it was obvious that her affections for Weiss were not the platonic sort. With the two of them sitting upon a bed, even a simple thing such as embracing her could be misconstrued. In fact, in this moment of weakness, it would be. She couldn't take advantage of Weiss, didn't dare to even let such a thought enter into her head. It was obvious that the demons plaguing her were not the sort that Pyrrha could simply chase away.

Dearly, she wanted to. The hopelessly romantic part of her heart constricting painfully at the thought that there was nothing she could do. Her mind at war with it, coming up with all sorts of plans to ward away the evils that could possibly shatter this woman in front of her. All of it seemed futile though. Most plans too bold, others simply not good enough.

What was she to do?

Pyrrha forced a small smile, one hand lifting up to cup a cheek that was colored pink by a blush. The reasons for it negative, and therefore, terrible by nature. Gently, she smoothed away a tear, the wetness clinging to her thumb in a powerful way. It felt incredibly heavy, far too taxing, and Pyrrha felt lost in it. Worst still, the pools of blue eyes threatened to overflow with even more of them.

It was painful to see, so she closed her eyes and sighed.

"I would do everything in my power to help you. I would protect you from whatever it is that terrifies you so greatly. However, I can only do that if I know the foe I am to face." Pyrrha knew nothing. "Tell me what I should do. I will do it." She would probably never know the sorts of twisted shadows that had crept into her love's mind over the years. The murmurs, self-doubt, history itself making for a sludge that was easy to drown in. Such a cesspool was a damaging thing.

The idea that Weiss had waded through such a thing on her own, was not something that Pyrrha was willing to consider. A more pragmatic part of her soul reminded Pyrrha rather urgently that Weiss had her own team, her own family. It was best not to forget that.

When she opened her eyes, she fully expected to have gained the blue eyed woman's attention. Perhaps even soothed away some measure of the discomfort that lingered there when she had first walked in. However, Weiss merely looked smaller for all of Pyrrha's efforts. Confused and fragile, as though she didn't know what could be done to save her from the repetitious thoughts swirling in her mind.

Weiss, however, could only think of one thing. One gesture that didn't sound or seem ludicrous. Something that Yang would do any time one of the members of team RWBY crumpled in on themselves…an act that though none of them admitted, happened more often than not. "Hold me." It was a simple act, one that among her team was as common a request as a person could get.

There was no stipulation, no added meaning. Just comfort, and Weiss craved it so badly that it physically hurt.

The expected warmth of a hug didn't come, and when she looked up at Pyrrha, she found the woman hesitating.

"Are you sure that will help?" Pyrrha asked, unsure, because it was one of the things she wanted to do in the first place. One of thing things, that, given the setting, she refrained from doing. She didn't want to harm Weiss further. "Are you positive you wish for me to do that?"

Weiss sighed then, realizing the depth of her request. What it might mean for Pyrrha, who had a team consisting of a two males, and therefore an entirely different team dynamic. The idea of personal space -a boundary line that Yang and Ruby had thoroughly trampled on upon her first day at Beacon, and continually thereafter- was something Pyrrha personally held in high regard.

Pyrrha Nikos was prim, proper, and kept dignity clutched tightly in the palms of her hands when and where she could.

In spite of all of that, and the complicated emotions that such thoughts inspired, Weiss nodded. "Yes." She said softly as if she was unsure of the pure magnitude of it all. Yang made the action a simple thing, but when Pyrrha held her, Weiss realized it would never be simple. There was more to Pyrrha's desires than merely to comfort her. On some level, even if she voiced it or not, Pyrrha wanted to hold Weiss in her arms.

She wanted this…whatever _this_ was…between them.

It did nothing to silence the doubts, but, at the very least, they seemed much less terrifying when cocooned in Pyrrha's embrace.

* * *

As huntresses it was a common hobby for the team to camp outside. The wilderness did them all some good. In some part, it was to maintain their most basic training. Another part was that it helped to remind them of the luxuries they often took for granted back in the cities. Hunting for food was different than hunting Grimm, and maintaining a secure camp was the cornerstone of any successful mission.

While it was true that there weren't any Grimm in this particular area of woods, they still did the usual routine perimeter checks every few hours just to be in the safe side. Ruby poked at the fire they had going, watching as Ace got herself covered in the sticky marshmallow that was just cool enough for her to eat as she sat in Yang's lap.

The young Faunus gobbled down the sticky treats one right after the other, Yang couldn't seem to roast them fast enough.

"We've really done it this time." She said, doing her best not to overcook the white glob on the stick. "I thought you were bad with the cookies, but this is a whole new level of sugar. Blake’s going to kill us."

"You should know all about that." Ruby said, setting her own marshmallow completely on fire before blowing it out and eating it. "Saving grace, she can't roast her own marshmallows with body heat."

"I only did that once."

"The ceiling has scorch marks to prove it, too." Ruby shot back with a smirk. "Just think, what if she had a semblance like yours?"

"Not likely, but I do think about it. I wonder what her semblance is, what it's like." Yang trailed off with a frown. "I know mine is actually pretty dangerous, all things considered, but I wonder what my mom's was like."

"Maybe ask dad, or Qrow..."

"I'd rather not bring that up. It'll just put them in a bad mood, and I don't think I'll actually get any answers...never did before, anyway." Yang explained.

"But, it is bothering you, right?"

"It's just, sometimes I wonder if Ace got a shitty luck of the draw. Ozpin said I was the weird one, but I kind of don't want to believe him…it just separates me more from the whole family thing. I don't like thinking that might be one of the reasons Raven abandoned me too."

"Does anyone really have a bad semblance though?" Ruby asked.

"I just don't know, Ruby." Yang sighed, catching a sticky little hand before it could get itself tangled in her long hair. Instead, she offered Ace yet another marshmallow that was just the lightest bit toasted. "I'd like to think not, but who can really tell?"

"And I'd like to think we have better judgement than that, Yang." Ruby bristled, before poking the fire again. "I mean, yeah, some are probably way more useful than others, but, I don't like classifying them as something good or bad. is just another way to separate people into groups." Ruby set fire to another marshmallow, this time plunking it between two cholate chip cookies before eating it. "I don't like thinking a dangerous semblance can be treated the same as a dangerous person."

"Even if they can't control their semblance?"

"Yang..."

"No, really, Ruby. What if the good person is dangerous just because their semblance is?" Yang posed thoughtfully. "We don't get to choose the lot in life we're born with. It's not fair. With all of the Grimm that Ace keeps attracting, I keep worrying that maybe her semblance is a bad thing. That Ozpin's right when he tells us not to unlock her aura."

"Sis, you're thinking too hard." Even as she said it, she was inclined to agree, even if she didn't like it. "Okay, so she gathers a few Grimm here and there, I thought that's why we agreed to bring her with us when we went camping. To get her used to being in places where Grimm tend to be, if anything it'll probably be a good thing in the future if she wants to be a huntress. Think about it, instant Grimm homing device, especially if Grimm seem to like her. They're a whole lot easier to kill if they aren't trying to eat you."

"I don't think I want her being a huntress. In fact, anything but a huntress is okay in my book." Yang pointed out. "I'm going along with this to prove myself wrong, and that's the extent of it…"

"Camping's fun too, don't forget." Ruby laughed. "People don't know what they're missing."

A black shadow came soundlessly from behind the bushes. "I agree, camping is fun." Blake said smirking as Yang almost jumped up from her surprise.

"Damn it, Blake!" Yang groused. "Don't do that. You freak me out when you don't make any noise."

"And you freak me out when you walk around the forest as a fireball." Blake returned casually. "You know I try not to make any sounds when I'm on patrol." Setting down her weapon in a locked position, Blake sat down beside Ruby to see the cookie carnage that had gone on while she was away. They'd brought four bags of marshmallows, but two had already been demolished, and so had the potato chips. She didn't mind, she had brought back a snack of her own. A fresh fish from the nearby river that she had already cleaned, gutted, and skewered before returning.

Reclining back on the nearby bolder, she set to cooking her prize over the open flame. Ace was immediately enamored with Blake's prize, marshmallows forgotten as she scampered her way over towards the fish only to be intercepted when she got too close to the roaring fire.

[Down.] She mewed unhappily.

Blake ignored that request, setting Ace on her lap instead. [Not yours.} her body language demanded.

"I'm all for fresh fish, but that's a little too fresh." Ruby murmured, seeing the fish look up into nothingness, part of the stick poking out of its mouth.

"And that's what you get for going on solo missions all the time." Yang said with a laugh. "If you camp out with Blakey as much as I do, you have to get used to seeing her go hunting."

"Weiss would have a heart attack." Ruby said with a shake of her head. She had to catch fish before too while out in the field, but she hated doing it. She had a preference for foraging, and meals ready to eat.

"Which is why I don't cook my fish like this in front of her." Blake said with a smirk, far too pleased with her meal to worry about anything else. "As a person, I do my best to downplay my heritage as much as possible so I don't scare humans. Weiss is very tolerant of my quirks, and I'm happy for that. In return, I try not to torture her with my heritage too much, if it can be avoided. If I thought this would bother you, I would have refrained from cooking it in front of you."

"Yeah, no... No eating it raw." Yang grumbled. "That's the shit that grosses me out."

"You do that?" Ruby asked.

"Sometimes..." Blake shrugged. "Does that bother you?"

"It's not that it bothers me if you do it. All the same, I don't tend to hunt if I can avoid it. I'd rather eat food that can't stare back at me." Ruby said with a somewhat self-deprecating smirk. "If you want to eat it, that's up to you. I do sort of feel bad for the little guy though."

Blake sighed at this, partially relieved, and partially guilty for what she knew she would have to say next. "I have to admit that I take some level of joy in feline habits. For example, hunting for my own food. I don't get that same sense of accomplishment from pulling a meal out of a freezer and cooking it. I just don't feel as if I've done anything to really deserve it."

The sisters said nothing to this, not that Blake expected them to. Yang always tiptoed around such issues carefully, and Ruby always took the time to slowly consider them before asking any sort of questions. It helped that they were all huntresses in every aspect of the word. As keen trackers, and they all hunted down their own food and Grimm alike while on missions. Even Weiss had caught her own meals when the threat of starvation loomed over her. She just didn't discuss it. Preserved food only went so far, and they had to be in top form to defend against Grimm. The laws of nature defined them so heavily, it shouldn't have been a surprise that they had nothing to add.

Blake would be lying to herself if she didn't admit that she felt the need to clarify, though.

"It's not a big deal, or anything. All Faunus have mannerisms that just come naturally to us, and, in some ways I like it better out here than I do in the city." At that, Blake looked over to Ace. "I'm not saying I want to live in the wilds, or anything, but coming out here every so often feels good to me. It's relaxing in a different way, and I personally feel like it's important that Ace has a connection to that…"

"We get it, Blake, it's fine." Yang said with a smirk.

"Do you though?"

"On some level, actually, I think this is one thing that I do." Ruby said, looking up to the stars. "I feel the same way after a Grimm hunt." Ruby said softly. "The more I take down, the fewer there are to cause damage someplace else. It's like I can sleep easier at night knowing I did the best I could to protect people. That comforts me more than sitting around in the house all day...every time I'm out here, it reminds me why I wanted to be a huntress, and I think no matter what, it's important to remember that..."

**Author's Note:**

> This fiction updates every Thursday on AO3 and FFN.
> 
> Follow me on twitter: @InsufferableFi2  
I have a blog, you can find it here. https://insufferablefirecrackersinsufferablesworld.wordpress.com
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Anime Reviews Include: Fruit's Basket, Perfect Blue, Sweetness and Lightning.  
Mai HiME episode-by-episode retrospectives will go out every Monday until completion.  
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